Airbag Recalls

About Airbag Recalls

Airbag recalls are among the most serious vehicle safety campaigns NHTSA administers. A defective airbag inflator can rupture during deployment, sending metal fragments into the vehicle cabin at high velocity — turning a device designed to save lives into one that causes lethal injury. This is not a theoretical risk: Takata inflator failures have been linked to more than 30 deaths and over 400 injuries in the United States alone, making the Takata recall the largest vehicle safety recall in history.

Airbag inflators are particularly susceptible to degradation over time, especially when exposed to heat and humidity. A vehicle in Florida, Texas, or Hawaii faces higher risk than the same vehicle in a dry climate — the combination of high temperatures and high humidity accelerates the deterioration of the ammonium nitrate propellant used in affected Takata inflators. NHTSA has prioritized high-humidity regions in its recall completion efforts.

New airbag recalls — unrelated to Takata — continue to be issued for various manufacturers. These may involve deployment timing issues, incorrect deployment thresholds, structural defects in the inflator or housing, or software errors that affect when or how the airbag deploys. All airbag recalls require a free dealer repair under federal law.