Takata Air Bag Recall: Time To Face Congress

The Takata airbag recall has proven to be much more complicated than a simple identify and repair situation. It all began with normal recalls. In 2014, recalls haven’t exactly stood out. However, the possible scope of the Takata recall and links to 4 deaths started to garner attention. The U.S. government agency that is seen as a consumer watchdog when it comes to manufacturer recalls spoke out about that issue. The current agency head, (Non-Senate Confirmed) David Friedman, urged those with vehicles that might be impacted to get their issue fixed as soon as possible. The problem is, the NHTSA gave out incorrect information about which vehicles were affected, then pointed consumers to their website, which was then inoperable for two days. To further complicate the issue, allegations arose in which former Takata employees claimed that the company found defects in their airbag inflators 10 years ago and purportedly covered up the issue. It’s a saga; it seems that is only gaining momentum, as two new twists have been attached to the Takata airbag recall.

According to a Reuters report, Takata has announced that they are changing the chemical composite of their airbag propellant. A Takata official, who declined to be named, spoke about the sudden change of the airbag chemicals. “There is no admission of a defect with the original version,” the official said. “There has not been any finding that ammonium nitrate or the earlier composition was somehow flawed. We changed the composition in an effort to improve quality.” While the official is not making a link between the recall fiasco and the change of inflator chemistry, Takata has admitted that the old compound can be volatile.

In an apparent effort to shed more light on the Takata airbag situation, the U.S. Senate Commerce committee will hold a hearing on this subject on November 20th. Early indications point towards Takata company officials, National Highway Traffic Safety representatives and auto manufacturer spokespeople among those likely to take part in the hearing. What do you think of the Takata recall? Have customers asked you about it? Is your dealership currently servicing recall repair requests? Between this recall and others in 2014, how much time does your store spend on recall efforts?