The problem with mega suppliers such as Takata is large recalls if there is a manufacturing defect.
While an airbag is a safety device, its explosion if not properly controlled can be deadly. Japanese supplier Takata is recalling more than 3.3 million vehicles globally because its airbags when deployed can send metal fragments – shrapnel – into a car’s interior striking and potentially seriously injuring the passenger seat occupant or other occupants.
More than three million BMW, Honda, Mazda, Nissan and Toyota vehicles are affected by the safety defect caused by a too powerful inflator. At least six vehicles in the U.S. and Japan have been identified with the problem, although Takata in the required NHTSA filing said it is unaware of any accidents or injuries.
Owners of all the vehicles where a defective air bag may have been installed either as original equipment, or as a replacement, will be notified by their vehicle manufacturers. Dealers will inspect vehicles, and where a defective air bag inflator is identified, the inflator will be replaced, free of charge as is required by NHTSA regulations in the United States. Owners may contact their vehicle manufacturer for more information. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327 or go to www.safercar.gov.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
