autoevolution
 

McLaren Recalls 3,000 Cars In the U.S. Over Takata Passenger-Side Airbags

On Friday, Honda Motor Co. confirmed the 16th death in the U.S. following an airbag rupture. Even though deaths weren’t attributed to McLaren, the Woking-based supercar manufacturer also recalled a ton of models to change those Takata airbags.
McLaren 675LT Spider 21 photos
Photo: McLaren
McLaren 675LT Live PhotosMcLaren 675LT Live PhotosMcLaren 675LT Live PhotosMcLaren 675LT Live PhotosMcLaren 675LT Live PhotosMcLaren 675LT Live PhotosMcLaren 675LT Live PhotosMcLaren 675LT Live PhotosMcLaren 675LT Live PhotosMcLaren 675LT Live PhotosMcLaren 675LT Live PhotosMcLaren 675LT Live PhotosMcLaren 675LT Live PhotosMcLaren 675LT Live PhotosMcLaren 675LT Live PhotosMcLaren 675LT Live PhotosMcLaren 675LT Live PhotosMcLaren 675LT Live PhotosMcLaren 675LT Live PhotosMcLaren 675LT Live Photos
Filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the recall document reveals that 2,792 cars are affected, ranging from the 2012 through 2017 model years. These are the MP4-12C, 650S, 675LT, P1, and 570 series. Curiously enough, the recall further includes vehicles that were involved in a crash in which the airbags deployed.

Starting on March 31st, the callback shouldn’t take too much in labor, coming at no cost to the customer. The inflators take a turn for the worse after exposure to humidity and hot-cold temperature cycles. Chemical changes in the explosive charge can (and surely) happen, and upon impact, the airbag could rupture as a consequence. So far, Takata shrapnel has been responsible for the deaths of 24 and injuries of more than 200 people worldwide.

Takata doesn’t exist anymore, having been acquired by Key Safety Systems after filing for bankruptcy. Three of the higher-ups were convicted of falsifying data in regard to the airbag’s performance (or lack thereof), which goes to show how far corporate greed can go.

It should be mentioned McLaren will replace the passenger-side airbags, not the driver’s airbag. “The replacement inflator uses revised technology which does not degrade over time,” assures the British automaker, who urges owners to contact the closest retailer for further information.

In the ballpark of 41.6 million vehicles equipped with 56 million Takata airbags are under recall, and by December 2019, the total number of recalled airbags will balloon to 70 million. In this mess-up, the role of the NHTSA in the United States is to order automakers to accelerate their repair programs as much as possible.

“Phasing and prioritizing repair parts is important since it was not possible for all of the replacement parts to be available right away,” reads a statement from the agency, “and some vehicles were at much higher risk of a dangerous air bag explosion than others.”
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories