Around 85 million unrecalled Takata air bag inflators are still on the road across the United States that are need to be recalled and replaced, according to the US Safety regulators. However, they said, unless the makers can prove that it is safe to use.
The federal government conducted their first public accounting, determining the total number of unrecalled vehicles with Takata air bag inflators, Reuters reported. Fourteen automakers already recalled 28.8 million inflators and are set for replacement up to now.
Due to its defective mechanism, in which the air bag tends to explode with great impact, blowing apart a metal canister and hurling shrapnel at drivers and passengers, at least 11 people have died worldwide and over 100 have been injured from the said problem.
According to CNBC News, on February 22, United States recorded 70 to 90 million unrecalled air bag inflators that were reported citing the issue. A Texas teenager has become the tenth victim in the United States. The 17 year old driver died due to its ruptured unrecalled air bag on her 2002 Honda Civic vehicle on March 31. Takata Corp has until the end of 2019 to prove that the unrecalled inflators are safe.
Bryan Thomas, a spokesman for the NHTSA agency said, "We've recalled the highest risk (inflators) and we've now flipped the standard and are saying they must now be proven to be safe," Phys.Org quoted. The agency has also recorded 32 million with a drying agent, which could make the drivers safer, as humidity is one of the issues that can prompt a dangerous airbag explosion. The other 53 million inflators do not have the drying agent.
Breaking down the total numbers, NHTSA said on Wednesday that potentially defective Takata air bags are still on the vehicles in America, include 43.4 million passenger side inflators, 26.9 million side air bag inflators and 14.5 million driver side inflators.
