The Recall Desk
SevereNHTSA·16E005000·Announced 2016-01-25

Takata Recalls Driver-Side Frontal Air Bag Inflators Due to Rupture Risk

Takata is recalling specific driver-side frontal air bag inflators that may rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious injury or death to vehicle occupants.

What this means for you

Illness, injury, or structural failure has been reported. Stop using the product immediately and contact the manufacturer for a refund or repair.

Our severity reasoning: The source text explicitly states that the defect could result in 'serious injury or death' and involves a structural vehicle defect (air bag inflator rupture), which aligns with the rubric criteria for a Severe (4) rating.

Plain-English summary

Takata Corporation is recalling certain PSDI-5 air bag inflators manufactured from January 1, 2003, through production impacting up through model year 2014 vehicles. These inflators were assembled as part of the driver-side frontal air bag modules in certain Audi, BMW, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Saab, Toyota, and Volkswagen vehicles. The affected inflators may have been installed as original equipment or as replacement equipment during service.

The defect involves the potential for the inflators to rupture due to exposure to persistent conditions of high absolute humidity and/or manufacturing variability. In the event of a crash necessitating the deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture, causing metal fragments to strike vehicle occupants, which could result in serious injury or death.

Takata is working with vehicle manufacturers to identify which vehicles contain the affected inflators. As this work progresses, numerous vehicle recalls will likely be announced by the impacted vehicle manufacturers. NHTSA will supply this information as soon as possible. Note that Toyota has already launched a recall campaign to address their vehicles under recall number 15V-284. Additionally, inflators installed as part of a prior recall remedy are not affected by this recall. Owners may contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or visit www.safercar.gov for more information.

The recalled product

Product
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE recall
Manufacturer
Takata Corporation
Category
Vehicle — Air Bag Inflator
Hazard
Affected units
3,900,000

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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