Is Your Nissan Part of the Takata Recalls?

Anyone else remember what the world felt like before all these Takata recalls?

I’m starting to forget considering the first one came all the way back in May of 2013. I’m pretty sure the air smelled sweeter, the birds all sang in harmony, and I didn’t cry overtime I heard a word ending in “ata.”

Anyway, I guess these batch recalls are our new reality. Nissan announced they’re pulling back 53,000 Versa sedans and hatchbacks to replace the passenger-side airbag inflators.

Takata has been in the news a lot lately, and none of it has been good – more confirmed casualties and stop-driving orders have prompted questions from our much-maligned Senators. Ooo, I have a question – what the heck took them so long?

Ugh, Takata – amirite?

The automakers are sick of it. I'm sick of it. I sure as heck know you're sick of it too. But here we are – staring down another recall of 152,000 Nissan and Infiniti vehicles.

By now I'm guessing you've heard about the dangers of Takata airbags, but here's a quick recap:

1. Over time Takata airbag inflators are susceptible to moisture.
2. When that moisture mixes with the airbag's propellant, the inflators become unstable and can explode sending shrapnel throughout the cabin.
3. The problem is responsible for 11 deaths in the USA alone.

Mazda has now recalled more than 1 million vehicles for this problem. Find out if yours is on the most recent list.

Nissan is recalling 402,000 vehicles, mostly Infiniti vehicles, with dangerous Takata airbag inflators.

This latest round of recalls has been split into what the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is calling "zones" across the country.

See the full list of recalled vehicles.

Takata's metal inflators are at risk of exploding because they don't contain a drying agent called desiccate. Over time, the ammonium nitrate inside the inflator can become unstable when exposed to heat and humidity. If they do explode during an airbag deployment, metal shrapnel shoots throughout the cabin, injuring or killing the people inside.

Nissan, like other automakers, doesn't have enough replacement parts to fix their vehicles. This is the largest recall in US history with 70 million cars affected and parts are scarce.

Owners should get an initial recall notice in the mail, and then another when parts become available.

Well, this is terrifying --- a 2006 Sentra owner suffered hearing loss and multiple cuts and burns from flying metal shrapnel

when the passenger airbag exploded during a minor accident. The issue is due to dangerous Takata airbag inflators. Early reports suggest that Nissan has expanded their earlier recalls to now include 45,000 Sentras from the 2004-2006 model years. But there's a catch...

Nissan has gone against the wishes of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) by regionally limiting the expansion. Takata claims their inflators will only deteriorate in areas of high heat and humidity. But this is the same company that was fined $14,000 a day for not cooperating with an investigation and possibly destroying evidence, so take that for what it's worth (i.e. not much).

For now, the recall is limited to vehicles sold or registered in:

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Additional areas include American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Saipan and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

There is no word on when the recall will begin, but owners should keep an eye out for an official notice in the mail. You can contact Nissan at 800-647-7261 with any questions.

Nissan is calling back 52,000 additional vehicles to repair the passenger-side Takata airbags that can explode and injure occupants.

About 1,800 Infiniti vehicles were recalled for the same issue just a couple days ago.

The newest air bag recall includes the 2003-2004 Nissan Pathfinder, 2004-2006 Nissan Sentra, 2003-2005 Infiniti FX35 and FX45, 2003-2004 Infiniti I35, and 2006 Infiniti M35 and M45.

The recalled vehicles are all in areas of high humidity.

Last month we learned that a whopping 35–40 million vehicles will need to be recalled because of Takata airbag inflators.

Yikes, remember when 3 million vehicles seemed like a big number? The massive expansion includes Nissan who has announced a recall expansion of 226,000 vehicles. They had previously recalled 480,000.

To better manage the recalls, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has separated areas of the country by "zones" A, B and C. Checkout CarComplaints.com for more information on the recalls and recall zones.

Nissan is part of a massive 3-million vehicle recall for explosive, unstable airbag inflators manufactured by Takata.

To be clear, when an airbag deploys there's always going to be a miniature explosion to make the inflation possible. But that explosion is controlled. In the case of Takata, the propellant used to make that explosion can deteriorate over time and cause dangerous –– possibly deadly –– issues when the airbag deploys:

"Takata said the propellant wafers produced at a plant in Moses Lake, Washington, between April 13, 2000 and September 11, 2002, may have been produced with an inadequate compaction force. The propellant could deteriorate over time and cause too much combustion, which could cause the body of the inflator to rupture during air bag deployment."

When that inflator canister ruptures, metal shards can shoot out into the cabin. Most of the recalls are expected to begin in May, 2013.