Expanded Takata Airbag Recall Would 'Needlessly Impose New Hardships'
The National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) believes a larger Takata airbag recall would result in an even bigger mess.
Recently it was reported that NHTSA was examining whether an additional 70- to 90-million Takata inflators should be recalled because they might be dangerous. Senator Bill Nelson of Florida, who is also the top Democrat on the Commerce Committee that is investigating the recalls, followed up by urging NHTSA to recall all the suspect inflators, adding that the agency should move faster to address the “recall fiasco.”
NHTSA administrator, Mark Rosekind, responded by saying that such a massive airbag recall would “needlessly impose new hardships,” considering Takata is already having a tough time supplying all the replacement parts for the 29-million inflators that have been called back. He went on to say that a larger recall would “increase uncertainty for consumers” while significantly complicating the process of supplying replacement parts to high-risk vehicles.
SEE ALSO: The Takata Airbag Recall Might Still Get a Lot Bigger
Nelson released the letter to the public saying, “We need to end this confusion and I think the process has to begin with having NHTSA take a hard look at whether” it should recall up to 90-million Takata airbags with ammonium nitrate-based inflators.
Takata has already agreed to a consent order in November that said it would have to recall and replace all ammonium nitrate inflators by 2019 unless it could prove they are safe.
[Source: Automotive News]
Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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I would like to know how secure we can feel that old airbags - such as the ones in my 99 Mustang - would still work in a crash after all these years -