More than 6.4 million vehicles in the U.S. still have Takata airbags

There are 14 states that pose the highest threat to drivers with unfixed vehicles with Takata airbags due to high heat and humidity

Centreville, Va.—Ten years after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) mandated the recall of Takata airbags nationwide because of the risk they pose for bodily harm or death to occupants, more than 6.4 million vehicles in the U.S. still have those airbags, according to CARFAX data.

Map of states where vehicles have unfixed Takata airbags.

More than 2.5 million — roughly 40% of all these unfixed vehicles — are located in states that NHTSA calls Zone A, according to CARFAX vehicle history data. These states “pose the highest threat to safety” because of their high heat and humidity.

They are Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas. Fourteen states have 150,000 or more unfixed vehicles with Takata airbags:

Texas*	788,000
California*	739,000
Florida*	305,000
N.C.	216,000
Ohio	209,000
N.Y.	206,000
Pennsylvania	204,000
Tennessee	202,000
Arizona*	201,000
Georgia*	195,000
Illinois	167,000
Michigan	164,000
Indiana	154,000
Alabama*	151,000

*Zone A states

Extended exposure to heat and humidity can cause Takata airbag inflators to deploy far more explosively than expected. That excessive force can launch pieces of metal surrounding the inflator into a vehicle’s cabin like shrapnel, posing a high risk to occupants. NHTSA says 27 people in the U.S. have been killed by these airbags and at least 400 have been injured. More than 67 million airbags in more than 40 million vehicles have been recalled in models from 19 automakers.

“Even after a decade of a dedicated and committed effort by the vehicle manufacturers, government, non-profits and businesses, it’s concerning that so many affected vehicles continue to be driven on U.S. roads with these potentially dangerous airbags sitting inside,” said Faisal Hasan, CARFAX General Manager for Data. “It’s easy to see recall fatigue settle in for many consumers, but they need to act. We know that raising the alarm with local media can make that happen urgently. Getting an airbag replaced is quick, free to them, and could save the life of a loved one — or their own.”