ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — More than 6 million vehicles in the U.S. still have dangerous, recalled airbags, according to new data from CARFAX.
These potentially deadly Takata airbags were recalled a decade ago because they can launch pieces of metal like shrapnel when they deploy.
They become more dangerous in states like Florida, where they're exposed to more heat and humidity, which can cause them to inflate even more explosively.
CARFAX ranks Florida in the top three states with the highest number of these recalled airbags still on the road: 305,000.
CARFAX tells us there are 67,000 vehicles with recalled Takata airbags right here in the Tampa Bay area.
“These cars date all the way back to 2001, 2002. They are on their second, third, fourth owner. They may have started in Minnesota and now are in Florida. And so, it’s really hard for automakers to track down these drivers,” CARFAX Editor-in-Chief Patrick Olsen told 10 Tampa Bay.
10 Investigates reported in 2022 that there’s no federal or Florida law preventing dealers from selling used cars with open safety recalls.
You can search your Vehicle Identification Number – the VIN – on nhtsa.gov/recalls or the SaferCar app. Those tools will tell you details of any open safety recalls on that car in the past 15 years.
You can find that VIN on the dashboard in front of the steering wheel, right above where it meets your windshield.
If there’s an unrepaired safety recall, the manufacturer has to fix it for free.
You can also sign up for emailed recall alerts on your car so you don’t miss future recalls.
Just last week, Nissan issued a Do Not Drive warning for about 84,000 older Sentras, Pathfinders and Infiniti QX4 SUVs because of unrepaired airbags.
Owners can find out if their vehicles are affected by going to nissanusa.com/takata-airbag-recall or infinitiusa.com/takata-airbag-recall and keying in their 17-digit VIN.