Consumer Information on Takata National Air Bag Recalls

The recall of defective air bag inflators made by Takata now involves 14 vehicle manufacturers and millions of U.S. vehicles. The defective inflators, which are supposed to produce gas that fills air bags to protect vehicle occupants in the event of a crash, can create excess pressure that causes the inflator to explode, sending metal fragments flying into the passenger compartment, which can cause serious injury or death. Since May 2015, when Takata acknowledged that some of its inflators were defective and a risk to safety, NHTSA has been working to organize and speed-up the recall repairs, which constitute the largest and most complex safety recall in U.S. history. The most recent expansion of the recalls, announced January 22, involves more than 5 million inflators, bringing the total to more than 28 million inflators under recall in the United States. NHTSA is coordinating and accelerating the recalls to ensure that every American vehicle has a safe air bag as quickly as possible, and has issued Takata the largest civil penalty in NHTSA history for failing to disclose the defects in its inflators and for providing NHTSA with selective, incomplete, or inaccurate data about its inflators. Consumers can consult this page for updates on the progress of the recalls, for a list of affected makes and models, and for the latest NHTSA actions to address Takata’s defective inflators and protect the American public.