3 On Your Side: Confusion Regarding Airbag Recalls
By Jim Donovan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A recall involving faulty airbags used by 11 auto makers was expanded again today. Three million additional vehicles were added to the list. But 3 On Your Side Consumer Reporter Jim Donovan finds there's lots of confusion over which vehicles are actually considered unsafe.
A malfunctioning website, an incorrect list and even concerns over geography are playing a role in the confusion. After advising consumers to take immediate action to fix exploding airbags, the government search feature for recalled cars still wasn't working today and a separate page listing affected vehicles had to be updated after including vehicles that were not part of the recalls. Democratic Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts says, "These airbags are ticking time bombs and any one of them can go off in any car at any time."
Explosions from Takata airbags can send shrapnel through a vehicle. The flying metal has been linked to at least four deaths and 30 injuries. The government says that the problem appears to be related to extended exposure to consistently high humidity and temperatures. So most recalls have been ordered in warm-weather states. Markey thinks that's a mistake. He says, "NHTSA treats these cars like they never go anywhere, like they are never driven to another part of the country."
Late this afternoon the NHTSA website and the VIN or vehicle identification look up tool still wasn't working. So NHTSA is recommending that vehicle owners check with the manufacturer of their car to see if it's on the recall list. Meanwhile, Toyota is telling people who own affected cars that no one should sit in the passenger seat until the problem is fixed. Dealers will disable airbags until the parts required to fix them are in.
