Photo: Takata
The last decade gave us a handful of major scandals in the automotive industry, and Takata is responsible for the biggest of them all. The Japanese corporation produced millions over millions of airbags with a deadly defect, which is why the OEM supplier was acquired by Key Safety Systems and renamed Joyson Safety Systems.
2013 is when the scandal started as a result of several recalls from large automakers, but the problem dates back as early as 1996 according to an investigation by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Seven years after the problem came to light, Takata’s criminal error is still producing effects all across the world.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, General Motors has to recall 5.9 million vehicles in the United States of America. The worldwide total is estimated at 7 million, which is a huge number by all accounts. General Motors expects to spend approximately $1.2 billion to replace the deadly airbags.
“The safety and trust of those who drive our vehicles are at the forefront of everything we do,” reads a statement from the biggest of the Big Three in Detroit. Yeah, the same company that cheaped out on ignition switches a few years ago. “Although we believe a recall is not warranted based on the factual and scientific record, the NHTSA has directed that we replace the inflators in the vehicles in question.”
General Motors has been fighting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration since 2016, trying to avoid recalls no fewer than four times in this period. Owners complained to the federal agency that GM is placing profits over safety, and I couldn’t agree more with them given how many people died so far as a result of Takata airbag inflators spewing shrapnel into the driver and passenger.
November 12th is when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration identified the 18th U.S. death tied to the defective airbag manufactured by Takata after the review of a recent crash involving a BMW. Worldwide, make that 27 known fatalities.
General Motors has 30 days to provide the agency with a plan for this recall. The vehicles involved in this campaing are SUVs and pickups from the 2007 to 2014 model years. In no particular order, the culprits are the Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, Chevy Silverado, and GMC Sierra.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, General Motors has to recall 5.9 million vehicles in the United States of America. The worldwide total is estimated at 7 million, which is a huge number by all accounts. General Motors expects to spend approximately $1.2 billion to replace the deadly airbags.
“The safety and trust of those who drive our vehicles are at the forefront of everything we do,” reads a statement from the biggest of the Big Three in Detroit. Yeah, the same company that cheaped out on ignition switches a few years ago. “Although we believe a recall is not warranted based on the factual and scientific record, the NHTSA has directed that we replace the inflators in the vehicles in question.”
General Motors has been fighting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration since 2016, trying to avoid recalls no fewer than four times in this period. Owners complained to the federal agency that GM is placing profits over safety, and I couldn’t agree more with them given how many people died so far as a result of Takata airbag inflators spewing shrapnel into the driver and passenger.
November 12th is when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration identified the 18th U.S. death tied to the defective airbag manufactured by Takata after the review of a recent crash involving a BMW. Worldwide, make that 27 known fatalities.
General Motors has 30 days to provide the agency with a plan for this recall. The vehicles involved in this campaing are SUVs and pickups from the 2007 to 2014 model years. In no particular order, the culprits are the Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, Chevy Silverado, and GMC Sierra.
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