In 2015 two all-time records were set in the United States, but neither was pleasant for the automotive industry.
Specifically, no less than 51.2 million vehicles were recalled in 868 separate campaigns.
Those figures exceeded the previous record set in 2014, when almost 50.1 million cars were involved in 779 recalls. To make things worse, an average of 25 percent of these cars are left unrepaired every year. Add them up, and it’s a scary situation…
This forced the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) to announce the launch of its “Safe Cars Save Lives” public awareness campaign, which urges consumers to check for open recalls on their cars at least twice a year and to get them fixed as soon as possible.
“Recalls are a serious safety issue that should be promptly addressed. An informed consumer is one of our strongest allies in ensuring recalled vehicles are repaired. Do not wait to act if your car is under recall and the parts are available“, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
Not repairing the affected cars can have disastrous consequences. Nine deaths and approximately 100 injuries have been attributed to Takata airbags worldwide, one case being a 25-year old woman from Utah who was left unable to speak after the airbag in her 2003 Honda Civic EX blew up in her face and severed her throat, according to DailyMail.
Last year, a teenager in Pittsburgh lost his life due to an exploding Takata airbag in a car that he bought from a relative unaware that it was recalled back in 2010, as AutoBlog reports.
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