Tens of thousands of Tucson area drivers are still riding around in vehicles with airbags at risk of exploding, new federal data show.
The owners of at least 40,000 vehicles registered to city residents, and another 7,000 registered in Pima County, have not responded to offers of a free airbag replacement program “even after dozens of outreach attempts by vehicle manufacturers,” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.
The local vehicles, manufactured by 19 different automakers between 2001 and 2016, are among 300,000 statewide and nearly 14 million nationwide affected by “the largest and most complex recall campaign in U.S. history,” the agency said.
Owners can check to see if they are affected by entering vehicle identification numbers into the NHTSA recall database at nhtsa.gov/recalls
An extensive list of affected makes and models is available online at nhtsa.gov/equipment/takata-recall-spotlight
The faulty airbags, made by the former Takata Corp. of Japan, have killed at least 16 Americans including an Arizona man and injured 300 others, an agency news release said.
The defect is caused by faulty airbag inflaters that are prone to explode and send shards of metal into the vehicle cabin.
Free fixes are available at area auto dealers.
“If your vehicle is under recall, I can’t stress how urgent it is to immediately take it to your dealer for a free repair. It could save your life or the life of someone you love,” NHTSA Deputy Administrator Heidi R. King said in the news release.
The situation “is particularly urgent for drivers of older, affected vehicles in Arizona because prolonged exposure to high heat and humidity over time makes the defect even worse, increasing the potential for serious injury or death,” it said.
At highest risk are owners of certain 2001-2003 Hondas and Acuras as well as certain 2006 Ford Ranger trucks and Mazda B-Series trucks. NHTSA urges “consumers not to drive these vehicles unless they are going straight to a dealer to have them repaired immediately.”
