Photo: McLaren
Do you happen to own a McLaren P1? Or any Ferrari from the 2016 and 2017 MYs? Bad news, folks, because the NHTSA says that your mid-engined machines are in dire need of new airbags.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the ongoing Takata recall has now taken its toll on late-model exotica. Supercar though it is not, the 2012 to 2016 Tesla Model S is also affected. This situation is a bit baffling when you think about it. For those gifted with short memory, here’s a kind reminder that the Takata saga was officially recognized in 2013, when 3.4 million Japanese cars were recalled over faulty airbags produced by the Japanese company.
What were Ferrari, McLaren, Audi, Lexus, and Tesla Motors doing in the last three years or thereabout? From the looks of it, they were sleeping or something. More worryingly, it’s also likely for the culprits to have decided to use Takata airbags anyway, knowing that they inflators may pose a risk to the driver and front passenger in a crash. A potentially deadly risk, if I may add.
The peeps over at the NHTSA report that Takata airbags with degraded ammonium nitrate propellant are responsible for 11 deaths and 180 injured in the U.S. alone. It’s rather clear, then, that Fezza and Macca, among others, have no excuse for equipping 2017 MY cars with life-threatening airbags.
Having vented off the steam boiling in me, now’s the time for me to tell you what models are included in this recall expansion. In Ferrari’s case, that would be the 2013 - 2017 F12 berlinetta, 2016 - 2017 F12tdf, 2015 - 2017 California T, 2016 LaFerrari, 2017 Ferrari GTC4Lusso, 2016 - 2017 488 GTB, and 2016 - 2017 488 Spider. Over at McLaren, the main offenders are the 2016 - 2017 570S, 2016 675LT, 2015 - 2016 650S, and the 2011 - 2015 P1. Lesser car brands such as Audi and Lexus, meanwhile, will see fit to call back models that include the 2017 R8, 2016 - 2017 TT, 2010 - 2017 GX, and 2012 LFA.
So there you have it. If you own one of the listed cars and don’t want the airbag to spew shrapnel directly into your face, you’re urged to use the NHTSA's recalls look-up by VIN search tool for more info on the matter.
What were Ferrari, McLaren, Audi, Lexus, and Tesla Motors doing in the last three years or thereabout? From the looks of it, they were sleeping or something. More worryingly, it’s also likely for the culprits to have decided to use Takata airbags anyway, knowing that they inflators may pose a risk to the driver and front passenger in a crash. A potentially deadly risk, if I may add.
The peeps over at the NHTSA report that Takata airbags with degraded ammonium nitrate propellant are responsible for 11 deaths and 180 injured in the U.S. alone. It’s rather clear, then, that Fezza and Macca, among others, have no excuse for equipping 2017 MY cars with life-threatening airbags.
Having vented off the steam boiling in me, now’s the time for me to tell you what models are included in this recall expansion. In Ferrari’s case, that would be the 2013 - 2017 F12 berlinetta, 2016 - 2017 F12tdf, 2015 - 2017 California T, 2016 LaFerrari, 2017 Ferrari GTC4Lusso, 2016 - 2017 488 GTB, and 2016 - 2017 488 Spider. Over at McLaren, the main offenders are the 2016 - 2017 570S, 2016 675LT, 2015 - 2016 650S, and the 2011 - 2015 P1. Lesser car brands such as Audi and Lexus, meanwhile, will see fit to call back models that include the 2017 R8, 2016 - 2017 TT, 2010 - 2017 GX, and 2012 LFA.
So there you have it. If you own one of the listed cars and don’t want the airbag to spew shrapnel directly into your face, you’re urged to use the NHTSA's recalls look-up by VIN search tool for more info on the matter.
Google News