- Nissan and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are urging owners of certain vehicles to stop driving if their Takata air bags haven’t been replaced.
- The warning applies to the 2002-2006 Sentra, 2002-2004 Pathfinder, and 2002-2003 Infiniti QX4.
- Takata air bags have killed 27 people in the United States and injured at least 400 others.
Recalls don’t get much more serious than the Takata air bag debacle, which has claimed at least 27 lives in the United States alone. Despite being a well-known problem at this point, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says 83,920 Nissans from the 2002-2006 model years haven’t had their air bags replaced.
This is literally a matter of life and death, so Nissan has issued an urgent Do Not Drive warning. Models impacted by the warning include the 2002-2006 Sentra, 2002-2004 Pathfinder, and 2002-2003 Infiniti QX4.
More: BMW Issues Do Not Drive Order On 90,000 Older Models Still Fitted With Takata Air Bags
Owners are being urged to immediately check to see if their vehicle is included in the recall. This is relatively simple as you can use the NHTSA’s Recall Lookup Tool to search for any open recalls by entering your license plate or vehicle identification number.
If your car or SUV is impacted by the Takata air bag recall, DO NOT DRIVE IT. Instead, contact your local Nissan or Infiniti dealer and they’ll take care of the issue. The exact response will vary, but some dealers will arrange for free towing and repair, while others may schedule a mobile mechanic to replace the air bag on site. Some dealers are even offering loaner vehicles.
The precautions are necessary as besides nearly 30 deaths, at least 400 people in the United States have been injured by exploding Takata air bag inflators. The government noted “even minor crashes can result in exploding Takata air bags that can kill or produce life-altering, gruesome injuries.” The NHTSA also noted as vehicles and their air bags age, owners are being put at higher risk.
