Airbag Malfunction Prompts Recall of Millions of Automobiles

Posted on June 13, 2013

Because it affects millions of vehicles of various model types, we would like to remind consumers of a vehicle recall from a couple months ago necessitated because of a safety issue that could crop up because of an error affecting the airbag.

The recall affects vehicles from General Motors, Honda, Toyota, and Nissan.  The first two automakers account for the majority of the recalls, as around 2.8 million Civic, Odyssey, CR-V, Corolla, Tundra, Lexus SC 430, Sequoita, and Matrix automobiles from the two companies were recalled.  Nissan is recalling nearly a half million vehicles, while General Motors’s recall affects 55,000 Pontiac Vibes.  Each vehicle will be of the 2000 through 2004 model years.

The apparent safety issue derives from an airbag component from Takata.  Propellant gases inside the airbag’s metal canister are supposed to burn at an even rate, allowing the airbag to inflate properly.  Unfortunately, this particular propellant is in danger of burning so quick that the pressure can’t be released and the canisters will essentially explode. This can send shards into the windshield and possible lead them to make contact with persons in the cabin.

The automakers have reported being made aware of instances of the defect making itself known, although injuries from such at the time of the issued recalls had not been reported.

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