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The Takata airbag recall has been going on for years now, and it shows no sign of being finished. In fact, dozens of auto manufacturers have not met the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s deadline to have the airbags repaired and replaced. The airbags, which have been installed in millions of vehicles in the United States, can explode with too much force, sending shrapnel flying into driver and passenger areas, injuring and killing them. Automotive News reports on the story.
The NHTSA issued a December 2017 deadline for automakers to have faulty Takata airbags replaced. The automakers were told by the agency in 2015 to have the more than 20 million vehicles affected by the airbags repaired.
The deadline has come and gone with some 7 million vehicles still awaiting repairs. 42% of recalled vehicles still have not had the airbags replaced or repaired.
On May 3, a letter was sent to the automakers asking them to set meetings with the agency to discuss the pace of the repairs.
The NHTSA has received criticism from top Democratic lawmakers for allegedly not doing enough to speed up the repairs. A Senate hearing in March looked into the issue.
Of the 22 worldwide deaths linked to the defective airbags, 15 have been in the United States. 20 of those deaths were in Honda vehicles. The other two took place in Ford Ranger pickup trucks.
A trade group that represents the major automakers did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
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