Takata airbag recall list

The Takata airbag recall is the largest in US history, affecting 33.8 million cars and trucks made between 2002 and 2011. Manufacturers include Toyota, Honda, BMW, Lexus, Ford, and Nissan.

The official list of affected vehicles continues to grow daily as more makes and models are added. There are two ways to find out if your vehicle is on the list:

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) – Enter the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) or make and model here to find out if there are any open safety-related recalls affecting the vehicle. You can also call the NHTSA safety hotline: 1-888-327-4236.  Note that both the NHTSA website and the safety hotline are swamped.

Your dealer – If your vehicle is on the recall list, your dealer will send you a notice. However, if you purchased the vehicle privately, outside a dealership, you are unlikely to get a recall notice from the manufacturer or the previous owner, and you should check the NHTSA site.

Takata airbag recall replacements

Affected vehicles in humid states will be replaced first, since NHTSA believes that humidity or moisture seeping into the airbag propellant canister changes its properties, causing it to explode more forcefully.

Six deaths and more than 100 injuries are blamed on the faulty air bags, which can burst apart with enough force to send metal shards throughout the interior of the car.

Priority states for replacement airbags are the Gulf Coast states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Virginia, Georgia, Alabama and Florida; plus Missouri, Oklahoma, North and South Carolina and California. That is cold comfort to drivers in snowbelt states, where moisture also can be an issue.

There is no word from either NHTSA or Takata, but you can expect that older vehicles will be recalled first.  Older vehicles are likely to have suffered more moisture damage than newer ones, and newer vehicles have additional safety features such as ABS and lane departure warning systems that can help prevent accidents, or minimize their severity.

Takata is speeding up production of replacement parts, but it can be several months before your vehicle is signaled for replacement parts, especially if you live in non-priority states.

Takata airbag safety history

The NHTSA agreement just before Memorial Day with Japanese company Takata doubled the number of cars that could have faulty air bags. The first Takata airbag recall was in 2008, when Honda recalled four thousand vehicles for what was described as a “manufacturer problem”.  The safety issue has bounced back and forth between Takata, manufacturers and NHTSA ever since.

Here is the current NHTSA list of the car models affected by the Takata air bag recall, in alphabetical order:

BMW models affected by Takata airbag recall

2000 – 2005 3 Series Sedan
2000 – 2006 3 Series Coupe
2000 – 2005 3 Series Sports Wagon
2000 – 2006 3 Series Convertible
2001 – 2006 M3 Coupe
2001 – 2006 M3 Convertible

Dodge & Chrysler models affected by Takata airbag recall

2003 – 2008 Dodge Ram 1500
2005 – 2008 Dodge Ram 2500
2006 – 2008 Dodge Ram 3500
2006 – 2008 Dodge Ram 4500
2008 – Dodge Ram 5500
2005 – 2008 Dodge Durango
2005 – 2008 Dodge Dakota
2005 – 2008 Chrysler 300
2007 – 2008 Chrysler Aspen

Ford models affected by Takata airbag recall

2004 – Ranger
2005 – 2006 GT
2005 – 2007 Mustang

General Motors models affected by Takata airbag recall

2003 – 2005 Pontiac Vibe
2005 – Saab 9-2X

Honda & Acura models affected by Takata airbag recall

2001 – 2007 Honda Accord
2001 – 2005 Honda Civic
2002 – 2006 Honda CR-V
2003 – 2011 Honda Element
2002 – 2004 Honda Odyssey
2003 – 2007 Honda Pilot
2006 – Honda Ridgeline
2003 – 2006 Acura MDX
2002 – 2003 Acura TL/CL
2005 – Acura RL

Mazda models affected by Takata airbag recall

2003 – 2007 Mazda6
2006 – 2007 MazdaSpeed6
2004 – 2008 Mazda RX-8
2004 – 2005 MPV
2004 – B-Series Truck

Mitsubishi models affected by Takata airbag recall

2004 – 2005 Lancer
2006 – 2007 Raider

Nissan & Infiniti models affected by Takata airbag recall

2001 – 2003 Nissan Maxima
2001 – 2004 Nissan Pathfinder
2002 – 2004 Nissan Sentra
2001 – 2004 Infiniti I30/I35
2002 – 2003 Infiniti QX4
2003 – 2005 Infiniti FX35/FX45

Subaru models affected by Takata airbag recall

2003 – 2005 Baja
2003 – 2005 Legacy
2003 – 2005 Outback
2004 – 2005 Impreza

Toyota & Lexus models affected by Takata airbag recall

2002 – 2005 Lexus SC
2002 – 2005 Toyota Corolla
2003 – 2005 Toyota Matrix
2002 – 2005 Toyota Sequoia
2003 – 2005 Toyota Tundra

If your vehicle is on this list, drive extra safely until your Takata airbag is replaced.