The ongoing Takata airbag scandal and resulting recall have been in the news for years now, but people still aren’t getting their airbags fixed or replaced. One reason can be that the recall notices aren’t reaching the current owner. Some of the vehicles were purchased used through private owners rather than dealers and may be on their second, third, or fourth owner.
Even seeing news reports on the nightly news or in a newspaper might not be enough to galvanize someone who relies on their vehicle to act. Honda and other motor companies have door-to-door teams reaching out to owners, and even that can prove hard to get owners to act. Sometimes, it takes someone they know – a neighbor, a friend, or a coworker being affected.
The Houston Chronicle reports on a grassroots campaign to get owners to have their airbags replaced.
In Texas alone, 2.1 million Takata airbags across many different makes and model still need to be replaced. Operation Find & Fix was launched in October with an aim to get the defective Takata airbags still out on the road replaced or fixed. The project aims to get the word out about the defective airbags in communities with a high number of older vehicles that also experience high heat and humidity. They are holding recall-check events at schools and places of worship. They are also engaging local dealerships and repair places in the hopes of getting owners to get their airbags replaced.
One thing that the outreach hopes to address is the myth that the replacement parts are hard to come by. This may be true for some vehicles, but auto manufacturer Honda says that dealers have adequate replacement parts. The dealerships are even offering loaner vehicles to those needing repair.
Mazda has joined in the efforts to get the word out about their recalled vehicles as well. As many as 93,000 Mazda vehicles in Texas needing repair. They have been sending letters, making phone calls, and engaging targeted online and digital ads to stress the importance of getting the affected vehicles fixed.
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