Ten years after the federal government mandated a nationwide recall of airbags that were linked to more than two-dozen deaths, millions of Americans have yet to get the devices replaced on their vehicles.
That’s according to data released Wednesday by CARFAX, the vehicle information company known for its vehicle history reports.
CARFAX data showed that more than 6.4 million vehicles in the U.S. have yet to replace Takata airbags which were ordered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to be recalled in all vehicles.
The government agency says 27 deaths in the U.S. were linked to these airbags, as well as at least 400 injuries.
CARFAX says about 40% of these unfixed vehicles — more than 2.5 million — are located in states that “pose the highest threat to safety” due to high heat and humidity, which can cause the devices to fail.
“Extended exposure to heat and humidity can cause Takata airbag inflators to deploy far more explosively than expected,” CARFAX wrote. “That excessive force can launch pieces of metal surrounding the inflator into a vehicle’s cabin like shrapnel, posing a high risk to occupants.”
Those high-risk states, according to the NHTSA, are Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas.
Texas has the highest number of unfulfilled Takata airbag recalls with about 788,000, followed by California with 739,000.
Fourteen states listed below have more than 150,000 vehicles with unfixed Takata airbags.
| State | Number of unfixed Takata airbags |
|---|---|
| Texas* | 788,000 |
| California* | 739,000 |
| Florida* | 305,000 |
| N.C. | 216,000 |
| Ohio | 209,000 |
| N.Y. | 206,000 |
| Pennsylvania | 204,000 |
| Tennessee | 202,000 |
| Arizona* | 201,000 |
| Georgia* | 195,000 |
| Illinois | 167,000 |
| Michigan | 164,000 |
| Indiana | 154,000 |
| Alabama* | 151,000 |
The Takata airbag recall was first announced in 2014 and was rolled out overtime to allow manufacturers enough time to produce replacements to meet the massive demand.
More than 67 million airbags in over 40 million vehicles were included in the recall across 19 automakers. The airbags were installed in specific vehicles between 2001 and 2015, CARFAX says.
Because the airbags are part of a mandatory safety recall, vehicle owners can get the devices replaced at a dealership for free.
For a complete list of makes and models that were included in the original Takata airbag recall, and to see if your vehicle is included, click here.
