Tokyo, Japan — April 23, 2015 — The consequences of recalls from the Takata Corporation related to faulty airbags continue. Previously, concerns over the overly aggressive inflation mechanisms used in Takata airbags led to industry concern and recall action from different manufacturers.
According to Reuters, Nissan is now including Sentras produced between 2004 and 2006 to the list of recalled vehicles, and late last month Honda announced more than 104,000 vehicles to its own list of affected cars. While the Honda statement pertained solely to driver-side airbags, the more recent Nissan announcement includes airbags on the passenger side, which Takata previously overlooked in its own recalls. Reuters adds that the total number of vehicles recalled because of the dangerous Takata systems is now around 25 million.
Major recalls like this, in which new information spurs on more and more industry action, need to be enforced with consistent messages that reach professional car dealers as well and consumers, and make the right corrective options easier to find. A Consumer Reports piece featured in the Boston Globe explains some of the issues that make attempted recalls less effective.
“In some cases, owners don’t know there’s a problem because they bought their cars used and the previous owners didn’t get the work done,” the article reads. “Other times, automakers lose track of who owns the car because it has been sold and resold a few times.”
If recalls are to be taken seriously, they need to be promoted through the right channels and targeted to their respective audiences. As the source says, every safety issue needs to be taken seriously, and when many different cases stem from the same problem, specific recall notices should be sent to make sure the proper course of action doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.
