The largest automotive safety recall in the history of the United States is underway, and the irony of it all is that it centers on one of the greatest innovations in life-saving technology…the airbag.

Takata is a major, and well-respected, automotive supplier. The Japanese company has an extremely broad reach in the automotive world, commanding 20 percent of the airbag market. Naturally, when a flaw is found in a Takata airbag system, it affects a lot of vehicles.

Around 36 million vehicles in the US have been affected by the airbag recall so far, with manufacturers adding more vehicles frequently.  

Six fatalities and over 100 injuries have been tied to a defect in a Takata airbag system. The culprit is believed to be humidity. Airbags inflate in fractions of a second as propellant surges from a housing and into the inflating bag. Years of exposure to high humidity seems to have altered the chemical composition of the propellant, resulting in an overly-forceful release that shatters the propellant’s metal housing. The metal shards from the housing then become projectiles, tearing through the airbag’s material and potentially injuring or killing the driver or other passengers in the cabin.

The majority of vehicles affected, made by 10 different automakers, were manufactured between 2002 and 2008. General Motors is the latest to add more vehicles to the list, chalking in an additional 375,000 heavy-duty pickup trucks. Here are the trucks that are on the recall list so far:

Dodge

2005-2007 Dodge Dakota

2004-2008 Dodge Durango

2003-2008 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup

2003-2009 Dodge Ram 2500 pickup

2003-2009 Dodge Ram 3500 pickup

2007-2009 Dodge Ram 3500 cab chassis truck

2008-2010 Dodge Ram 4500 and 5500 cab chassis trucks

2008-2009 Sterling 4500 and 5500 cab chassis trucks

Ford

2004-2006 Ford Ranger

General Motors

2007-2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

2007-2008 Chevrolet Silverado 2500

2007-2008 Chevrolet Silverado 3500

2007-2008 GMC Sierra 1500

2007-2008 GMC Sierra 2500

2007-2008 GMC Sierra 3500

Honda

2006 Honda Ridgeline

Mazda

2004 Mazda B-Series Truck

Mitsubishi

2006-2010 Mitsubishi Raider

Toyota

2003-2005 Toyota Tundra

 

The above list is the most complete picture of trucks affected by the recall as of this article’s publishing. If your vehicle is not listed above, use the NHTSA’s VIN lookup tool to find out if it is affected by this, or any other existing, recall. Your vehicle’s VIN number can be found by looking through the windshield at the driver’s side dashboard. It’s also printed on a sticker on the driver’s side doorjamb and listed on your vehicle’s title and insurance card.

It’s important to remember that, while the scope of this recall is very broad and the consequences of a malfunctioning airbag could be very frightening, there have been relatively few incidences of injury and fatalities given the number of vehicles that are affected. Manufacturers are each taking their own approach to address the airbag issue, undoubtedly governed by servicing those most at risk who reside in more humid climates before getting around to those with a much lower possibility of failure. Another factor in play for manufacturers is the availability of additional Takata airbag units. If a manufacturer needs to replace more airbag units than it has in stock, there’s currently a waiting period as Takata struggles to churn out enough to fill the need for both new and replacement models. If you’re uncomfortable driving your truck before a repair is able to be made, we suggest driving the vehicle as little as possible. Try dropping by your local dealer to see if there’s anything they can do for you, from offering a loaner vehicle to simply giving them a reason to put more pressure on your manufacturer to figure out a faster solution.