US probes Takata air bags in 200 models from 20 automakers

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By TOM KRISHER

DETROIT (AP) — Over 30 million air bags in more than 200 models from 20 car and truck makers are being investigated by a U.S. safety agency because they have the potential to explode and hurl shrapnel.

In a document posted Tuesday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it opened the probe into air bag inflators made from 2011 through 2019 by now-bankrupt Takata that weren’t recalled previously.

The probe could reverse a decision made in May of last year not to recall the inflators, which contain a moisture-absorbing chemical called a dessicant.

It wasn’t clear what prompted the agency to open the investigation. Last year, it decided against recalling the inflators, based largely on industry research, and said it would monitor them.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/business-a299627fb48ab780790dfc8d482d89e5

[unblock]

1. here we f*cking go again.

mrs unblock's car had one of these the last go-round. got a "recall" letter saying hey, your car is a death trap but we might get around to fixing it in another year or so, maybe.

needless to say, mrs unblock wanted to replace it right away, but of course the trade-in value plummeted. all the dealers said, we can't sell it as is, we have to find storage for it for a year or whatever until takata can fix it, and only then can we sell it. so basically we got totally screwed on the trade-in, even the dealer we bought it for wouldn't give us a break even though it was their damn defective car they sold us in the first place.

i truly loathe going to the car dealer at all, but that experience was particularly sucky.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. Wow, this has been going on for a long time. NT

[monkeyman1]

3. just like haveing a hand grenade taped in the middle of the steering wheel !

[Trailrider1951]

4. Wow, I guess it depends on the car manufacturer

In 2018, I got a letter from the local Toyota dealership that my car, a 2012 Toyota Sienna minivan I bought used, had those Takata airbags and that I should make an appointment to have them replaced ASAP. I called and got an appointment for the next week. They replaced the parts during the course of 1 day and even gave me a free loaner car for the day. When I got my car back, it had been washed and vacuumed. Customer service isn't extinct, it's just hard to find.

[ananda]

5. The models end in 2016.

...

[rickford66]

6. Corporations should be made to have escrow accounts for events like this.

When buying back stock, a percentage of their cash should go into the account.