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The Center for Auto Safety is the nation’s premier independent, member driven, non-profit consumer advocacy organization dedicated to improving vehicle safety, quality, and fuel economy on behalf of all drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.
June 25, 2014
202-328-7700
NHTSA & Takata Strike Deadly Deal Behind Closed Doors To Limit Airbag Inflator Recall
“Sitting in air conditioned offices away from the sweltering humidity of Washington streets and away from the eyes of public scrutiny, NHTSA and Takata officials reached one of the strangest recall deals ever seen. They agreed Takata could limit recall of airbag inflators that explode and send shrapnel into the occupant compartment to Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and U.S. Virgin Islands. The agreement totally ignores states such as Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and others with notoriously high relative humidities not to mention Washington DC and even Portland Oregon which is higher than Hawaii. Without explanation, the agreement relies on absolute humidity for which records are scanty and no data are provided by either NHTSA or Takata. When it comes to a defect so deadly as an airbag inflator that kills like a shrapnel bomb, the public deserves more than a private nod from NHTSA to Takata just like the agency gave GM on the ignition switch defect.”
Statement of Clarence Ditlow
Executive Director
CAS Statement on Takata Consent Decree and Fine – 11/3/15
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List of All Takata Airbag Inflator Recalls and Service Campaigns
2016 Takata Airbag Inflator Recalls
Honda Part 573 Recall & Defect Chronology
List of Takata Airbag Inflator Fatalities
NHTSA Memorandum Summary of Injury and Fatality Reporting Regarding Takata Airbag Inflator Ruptures
CAS ACTIONS
Consumer Advocates’ Comments on GM’s Attempts to Delay Recall by One Year – 10/4/16
CAS Statement on Takata Consent Decree and Fine – 11/3/15
CAS Statement on H.R. 1181, Vehicle Safety Improvement Act of 2015 – 6/2/15
Statement of Clarence Ditlow on Honda $70 Million Fine for EWR Violations – 1/8/15
Statement of Clarence Ditlow on Honda Tread Act Violations – 11/24/14
Letter to NHTSA on Tran Death Resulting from Airbag Replaced in December 2011 Recall – 10/30/14
CAS Calls for Criminal Investigation of Honda EWR Failure – 10/15/14
CAS Letter to NHTSA re: Honda Airbag Inflator Recalls – 12/5/11
U.S. District Court Decision on Geographic Recalls – 9/30/04
CAS Information Page: Don’t Be a Geographic Recall Victim – 2003
NHTSA
Fourth Amendment to NHTSA Coordinated Remedy Order – 12/27/16
Third Amendment to NHTSA Coordinated Remedy Order – 12/16/16
NHTSA confirms 11th U.S. fatality tied to rupture of Takata air bag inflator – 10/20/16
NHTSA: New test data on particular subset of Takata air bag inflators shows substantially higher risk – 6/20/16
NHTSA Expands Takata Recall by 35-40 Million Vehicles – 5/4/2016
Amendment to November 3, 2015 Consent Order – 5/3/16
Expert Report of Harold R. Blomquist, Ph.D. – 5/4/16
Fact Sheet: May 2016 Takata Recall Expansion – 5/4/16
Fact Sheet: NHTSA Actions to Accelerate the Takata Remedy – 5/4/16
Fact Sheet: Takata Recall History and Key Terms – 5/4/16
49 CFR Part 595 – Make Inoperative Exemptions
Department of Transportation announces steps to address Takata air bag defects – 5/19/15
NHTSA Upgrades Takata Investigation to EA15-001 – 2/24/15
U.S Transportation Secretary Foxx Calls on Congress to Authorize New Enforcement Tools for NHTSA and Levies Fine on Takata – 2/20/15
NHTSA Announces Follow-up Recall of 2.12 Million Cars and SUV’s – 1/31/15
NHTSA Investigation PE14-016 Document List – 12/19/14
Takata Response to NHTSA Recall Request – 12/2/14
USDOT Calls for National Recall of Defective Takata Driver Side Air Bags – 11/18/14
General Order Directed to Manufacturers – 11/18/14
Second Special Order Directed to Takata – 11/18/14
New Recall by Honda After Death in Malaysia Is Tied to Takata Airbag – 11/13/14
NHTSA Special Order to Takata – 10/30/14
Information Request to Honda from NHTSA Deputy Administrator David Friedman – 10/29/14
Consumer Advisory: Vehicle Owners with Defective Airbags Urged to Take Immediate Action – 10/20/14
NHTSA Statement on Takata Airbag Inflators – 6/23/14
PE14-016 Opening Resume – 6/11/14
Takata Letter to NHTSA ODI – 6/11/14
Takata Letter to NHTSA ODI adding Subaru-Fuji and Mitsubishi – 6/25/14
Honda Response to NHTSA IR on 2009 Recall Expansion – 9/16/09
NHTSA Information Request to Honda on 2009 Recall Expansion – 8/19/09
Honda Airbag Recall Query RQ09-004 Documents
CONGRESS
Thune and Nelson Press Department of Transportation for Takata Recall Update – 6/2/17
Senate Commerce Letter to DOT Secretary Chao: Takata Recall Completion – 6/2/17
Senators Demand “Do Not Drive” order on 2001-2003 Honda Vehicles – 7/26/16
Senate Report: Automakers selling new vehicles with defective Takata airbags – 6/1/16
Congressional Investigation Finds Widespread Manipulation of Takata Airbag Inflator Test Data – 2/23/16
Senator Nelson Letter to NHTSA re Takata Ammonium Nitrate Based Inflators – 2/10/16
House Energy and Commerce Committee Hearing: An Update on the Takata Airbag Ruptures and Recalls – 6/2/15
House List of Takata Airbag Inflator Recalls – 6/1/15
Markey, Blumenthal Statement on Expansion of Takata Airbag Recall – 5/19/15
Markey, Blumenthal Commend NHTSA for New Airbag Safety Recall – 1/31/15
Senators Also Call On NHTSA To Conduct Its Own Independent Testing Of Takata Airbags – 1/30/15
House Energy & Commerce Committee Hearing: Takata Airbag Ruptures and Recalls – 12/3/14
Senate Commerce Committee Hearing: Examining Takata Airbag Defects and the Vehicle Recall Process – 11/20/14
Blumenthal, Markey Call On Department Of Justice To Open Criminal Investigation Of Takata – 11/7/14
Markey, Blumenthal: Drivers at Risk from Regional Vehicle Recall System, Non-compliance with Early Warning System – 10/15/14
Markey and Blumenthal Information Request to NHTSA Re: Regional Recalls – 10/15/14
NEWS
AP Analysis: Most automakers slow to fix dangerous air bags – 8/1/17
Takata air bag inflator ruptures in Florida crash that killed driver – 7/27/17
Honda confirms 11th U.S. death tied to ruptured Takata airbag inflator – 7/10/17
$553 Million Accord for U.S. Drivers Over Takata Airbags – 5/18/17
With Guilty Plea, Takata Clears Way for a Likely Global Rescue – 1/15/17
Takata Executives Face Criminal Charges Over Exploding Airbags – 1/12/17
GM Tells NHTSA Some Takata Airbag Safety Risks are Inconsequential – 1/10/17
Hundreds of Recalled Takata Airbag Parts Ruptured in Testing – 9/23/16
Takata failed to report 2003 air bag rupture to NHTSA – 9/23/16
Irate Critics Call On NTSB To Look Into Fatal Takata Truck Blast – 9/1/16
Takata Truck Blast Revives Concerns Over Airbag Propellant – 8/31/16
Fatal Takata Truck Blast Was ‘Like a Big Bomb,’ Sheriff Says – 8/28/16
A Cheaper Airbag, and Takata’s Road to a Deadly Crisis – 8/26/16
Some automakers still use riskier Takata airbags – 8/24/16
FCA will stop equipping new vehicles with Takata airbags slated for recall – 6/21/16
Honda: Two more Takata-linked airbag deaths in Malaysia – 5/5/16
Honda Press Release: Two Confirmed Ruptures of Takata Driver’s Airbag Inflators in Malaysia on April 16, 2016 & May 1, 2016 – 5/4/16
Takata air bag recall now largest in U.S. history – 5/4/16
U.S. Orders Up to 40 Million More Takata AirBags Recalled – 5/4/16
Teenage Driver Dies in Texas After Takata Airbag Ruptures in Crash – 4/6/16
Takata airbag blamed for a Texas driver’s death – 4/6/16
Up to 90 million more Takata airbag inflators may face U.S. recalls – 2/22/16
As deaths rise, so do chances of total Takata air bag recall – 2/17/16
Senators Call for a Much Broader Recall of Defective Takata Airbags After a Recent Death – 2/2/16
Takata Emails Show Brash Exchanges About Data Tampering – 1/4/16
– Revised Honda Validation Test Report
– Schubert Data Integrity Memo
The Biggest Auto Recall in the U.S. Is Also a Really Big Mess – 11/15/15
Takata Airbag Inquiry Widens – 10/22/15
Takata Says No to Fund for Victims of Defective Airbag – 7/9/15
Honda Confirms an Eighth Fatality From Exploded Takata Air Bag – 6/19/15
Honda Links a Rupturing Takata Airbag to a 7th Death – 6/12/15
Takata airbags: About 1.5 million recalls listed in Canada – 5/28/15
For Drivers, Confusion Reigns in Takata Airbag Recall – 5/22/15
Feds seek to manage Takata air bag recall, speed up repairs – 5/21/15
Airbag recall: What you should do now – 5/20/15
Takata Started Changing Its Air-Bag Design Back in 2008 to Cut Risks – 5/19/15
Flawed Takata air bags in 34 million vehicles lead to biggest recall in history – 5/19/15
Airbag Recall Widens to 34 Million Cars as Takata Admits Defects – 5/19/15
Honda Recalls Nearly 5 Million Vehicles With Takata Airbags – 5/14/15
Toyota and Nissan Recall 6.5 Million More Vehicles Over Takata Airbags – 5/13/15
Is danger lurking in junkyards? – 5/11/15
NHTSA fines Takata for not cooperating in probe of exploding air bags – 2/20/15
Automakers to hire former NHTSA chief in Takata probe – 2/4/15
Fatal Houston Fender-Bender Shows Shortcomings of Recalls – 2/1/15
News Articles on the $70 Million Honda Fine for EWR Violations – 1/8/15
Takata taps former U.S. transport chiefs in air bag safety crisis – 12/2/14
Takata Chairman’s Statement on Airbags – 12/2/14
Honda Failed to Report Defects’ Full Human Toll – 11/24/14
Japan Orders Takata to Investigate Flawed Airbags – 11/21/14
Takata’s Switch to Cheaper Airbag Propellant Is at Center of Crisis – 11/19/14
U.S. Regulators Call for Takata Airbag Recall to Be Extended Nationwide – 11/18/14
Feds tell Takata to make air bag recall nationwide – 11/18/14
Honda to Replace Airbags Throughout U.S. – 11/18/14
Timeline: Takata air bag recalls – 11/17/14
Air-Bag Settlement Deals Keep Details From Crash Victims – 11/17/14
USA Today Editorial: Air bag recalls deadly slow: Our view – 11/9/14
Takata Saw and Hid Risk in Airbags in 2004, Former Workers Say – 11/6/14
Safety agency is failing the public on air bags – 11/2/14
Air Bag Investigators Home In on Metal Shards Sprayed at Crashes – 10/30/14
Agency Website Meltdown Leaves Air-Bag Motorists in Dark – 10/22/14
NHTSA issues airbag warning on 4.7 million vehicles – 10/20/14
It Looked Like a Stabbing, but Takata Air Bag Was the Killer – 10/20/14
Detectives blame woman’s mysterious death on car’s air bag – 10/17/14
Third traffic death in U.S. linked to Takata airbags – 10/17/14
Honda Probes Parking-Lot Death Amid New Casualty Search – 10/16/14
Honda starts audit of injury, death reports to U.S. regulator – 10/16/14
Air Bag Flaw, Long Known to Honda and Takata, Led to Recalls – 9/11/14
Does Your Car Have One Of These Dangerous, Shrapnel Spitting Airbags? – 8/7/14
Honda pushes dealers for buyers’ signatures on airbag liability – 7/28/14
BMW to recall 1.6 million cars worldwide for air bag concerns – 7/16/14
Subaru to Recall Vehicles With Takata Air Bag Inflators – 7/2/14
Faulty Air Bags From Takata Sold to Subaru and Mitsubishi – 6/30/14
NY Times: Now the Air Bags Are Faulty, Too – 6/23/14
NY Times: Toyota Orders Big Recall Tied to Airbag Part – 6/11/14
Decision to make air bags has marred family legacy – 1/19/14
Takata Press Releases
Takata Agrees to Expansion of Recall – 5/4/16
Takata Chairman’s Statement – 12/3/14
Manufacturer Campaigns Limited to “Absolute Humidity” States
BMW Conducts “Voluntary Limited Regional Parts Collection Campaign” 14V-348 – 6/19/14
Chrysler Conducts Field Action only in FL, HI, PR, and USVI – 6/20/14
Ford Conducts Field Action only in FL, HI, PR, and USVI – 6/19/14
Mazda Conducts Special Service Program in FL, HI, and PR Only – 6/20/14
Mitsubishi Conducts Field Service Action in FL, HI, PR, and USVI – 7/10/14
Nissan Conducts Field Action only in FL, HI, PR, and USVI – 6/19/14
Subaru Conducts “Regional Parts Collection Campaign in FL, HI, PR, USVI Only – 8/1/14
Toyota Conducts Campaign only in FL, HI, PR, and USVI – 6/19/14
Honda Campaign Covers Additional States with High Humidity
Honda Safety Improvement Campaign 14V-351 Part 573 Defect Notice
Honda Safety Improvement Campaign 14V-353 Part 573 Defect Notice
Statement by American Honda Regarding Front Airbag Inflator Market Actions – 6/23/14
Honda Expands Takata Air Bag Inflator Recall to California (NYTimes) – 7/8/14
Honda Foreign Airbag Recalls
Toyota Foreign Airbag Recalls
BMW Expands Recall to Cover All States
BMW Safety Recall Part 573 Defect Report
TOYOTA
Toyota Recall 14V-350 Part 573 Defect Notice – 6/19/14
Toyota Recall 14V-312 Part 573 Defect Notice – 6/10/14
Dealer Notice of Suspension of Recall 13V-133 – 6/10/14
Toyota Recall 13V-133 Part 573 Defect Notice – 4/11/13
Toyota Recall 13V-133 Part 573 Amendment – 5/21/13
Takata Recall 13E-017 Part 573 Defect Notice – 4/11/13
CHRYSLER