Emergency airbag recall increased to 7.8 million vehicles

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration now says owners of 7.8 million vehicles fitted with airbags manufactured by Japan’s Takata Corp. are in danger, and should have those vehicles seen by their dealers immediately.

The vehicles are at risk of airbag failure or, worse, airbag explosions, which could spray metal debris into the driver or passenger area, with potentially fatal consequences.

Many of the vehicles have already been the subject of safety recalls. But many have not been returned to dealers to have their airbags checked or replaced.

The vehicles involved include automobiles made by Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Chrysler, Ford and BMW -- with Honda vehicles making up the bulk of the NHTSA list.

Concerned automobile owners can check their vehicle identification numbers, or VINs, against a NHTSA listing by going to this website and choosing the “Search for Recall by VIN” option.

(The NHTSA website, though, was temporarily shut down mid-morning Wednesday, perhaps as a result of increased inquiries from vehicle owners.)

The affected vehicles, many of them manufactured between 2000 and 2004, are equipped with airbags made or containing parts made at Takata factories in the U.S. and Mexico. A problem with the airbags’ propellant can cause the safety restraint systems to fail during a collision, or even to deploy when no collision occurs.

Multiple accidents and some fatalities may be connected to the spontaneous explosion of the airbags, and the resulting spray of shrapnel into the driver’s seat.

Vehicles being operated in areas subject to consistent high heat and humidity are especially at risk. NHTSA is particularly concerned about cars being driven in Florida, areas of Texas near the Gulf of Mexico, as well as parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia, along with Hawaii, Virgin Islands and certain South Pacific areas, like Guam, Saipan and American Samoa.

Here is a complete list of the suspect vehicles, along with the number of vehicles included in this warning:

BMW: (627,615 vehicles potentially affected)
2000 – 2005 3 Series Sedan
2000 – 2006 3 Series Coupe
2000 – 2005 3 Series Sports Wagon
2000 – 2006 3 Series Convertible
2001 – 2006 M3 Coupe
2001 – 2006 M3 Convertible

Chrysler: (371,309)
2003 – 2008 Dodge Ram 1500
2005 – 2008 Dodge Ram 2500
2006 – 2008 Dodge Ram 3500
2006 – 2008 Dodge Ram 4500
2008 – Dodge Ram 5500
2005 – 2008 Dodge Durango
2005 – 2008 Dodge Dakota
2005 – 2008 Chrysler 300
2007 – 2008 Chrysler Aspen

Ford: (58,669)
2004 – Ranger
2005 – 2006 GT
2005 – 2007 Mustang

General Motors: (N.A.)
2003 – 2005 Pontiac Vibe
2005 – Saab 9-2X

Honda: (5,051,364)
2001 – 2007 Honda Accord
2001 – 2005 Honda Civic
2002 – 2006 Honda CR-V
2003 – 2011 Honda Element
2002 – 2004 Honda Odyssey
2003 – 2007 Honda Pilot
2006 – Honda Ridgeline
2003 – 2006 Acura MDX
2002 – 2003 Acura TL/CL
2005 – Acura RL

Mazda: (64,872)
2003 – 2007 Mazda6
2006 – 2007 MazdaSpeed6
2004 – 2008 Mazda RX-8
2004 – 2005 MPV
2004 – B-Series Truck

Mitsubishi: (11,985)
2004 – 2005 Lancer
2006 – 2007 Raider

Nissan: (694,626)
2001 – 2003 Nissan Maxima
2001 – 2004 Nissan Pathfinder
2002 – 2004 Nissan Sentra
2001 – 2004 Infiniti I30/I35
2002 – 2003 Infiniti QX4
2003 – 2005 Infiniti FX35/FX45

Subaru: (17,516)
2003 – 2005 Baja
2003 – 2005 Legacy
2003 – 2005 Outback
2003 – 2005 Baja
2004 – 2005 Impreza

Toyota: (877,000)
2002 – 2005 Lexus SC
2002 – 2005 Toyota Corolla
2003 – 2005 Toyota Corolla Matrix
2002 – 2005 Toyota Sequoia
2003 – 2005 Toyota Tundra

Follow me on Twitter: @misterfleming