Takata Airbag inflators have been in the news for a few years, because of how dangerous they are as they age.  Reports of airbags deploying and shrapnel flying about has been something quite a few car makers have had to contend with.  Now according to WOODTV, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has decided that General Motors must recall around 6 million trucks and SUVs that have the Takata inflator installed, and they must fix them.

WOODTV reports that for the last four years, GM has petitioned that their airbags with Takata inflators are safe and have been proven safe in testing.  Owners of the vehicles, who would rather not find out if the company is correct, have been fighting on the other side of the petition to still have the airbags recalled. The fear, as reported on WOODTV's website is,

Takata used volatile ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion to fill air bags in a crash. But the chemical can deteriorate when exposed to heat and humidity and explode with too much force, blowing apart a metal canister and spewing shrapnel.

In total, 27 people worldwide have died as a result of the faulty inflator, with 18 of those cases being from the United States. While the number of deaths is low, relatively, the number of injuries from the explosions is in the hundreds.

WOODTV says the decision from the NHTSA comes after years of research,

“Based on this information and information provided to the petition’s public docket, NHTSA concluded that the GM inflators in question are at risk of the same type of explosion after long-term exposure to high heat and humidity as other recalled Takata inflators,” the agency said.

This latest recall now means that the NHTSA has recalled all Takata ammonium nitrate inflators in the United States.

If you're curious if your vehicle is now on the recall list, WOODTV says you can go to nhtsa.gov/recalls with your seventeen digit VIN number and it will tell you if your vehicle needs to be taking to the dealer for repair.

 

 

 

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