Exploding Airbag Recall In May, 2015, Expands — 34 Million Vehicles Affected: Find Out If Your Car Or Truck Is On The List

The newest recall of airbags due to a possibility that the propellant found in the airbag inflators could cause them to explode has consumers wondering if their vehicle is on the recall list. In order to discover if a car or SUV or minivan is on the list, visit Safercar.gov after determining your vehicle’s VIN, the number that can be found beneath the front windshield wipers and usually faces the front windshield.

The VIN search helps car owners know if their vehicles still need to be fixed. By placing a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) into the government’s search engine, the public can know if their mode of transportation was part of a recall in the past 15 years. The government site warns consumers that the airbag recall search can take days or weeks to become complete, and instructs searchers to check back now and then to ensure their vehicle is safe.

“If you are checking to see if your vehicle is affected by the Takata air bag recalls, it generally takes anywhere from a few days to several weeks for automakers to gather individual VINs associated with a recall. It is important that you check back periodically as a recall on your vehicle may not show up immediately.”

The airbag recall has grown to potentially affect up to 34 million vehicles, reports the New York Times — meaning as many as one out of four vehicles could be a part of the recall. Takata, the manufacturer out of Japan, declared about 33.8 million vehicles in the United States as defective due to the airbag that can explode and send shrapnel into the driver and/or passengers.

This expanded airbag recall, reports the Wall Street Journal, has made it larger than the Tylenol recall back in the 1980s, when 31 million bottles were recalled.

As reported by the Inquisitr, previous airbag inflator recalls totaled 17 million. This latest expanded recall has doubled the amount of vehicles that could contain deadly explosive airbag inflators — especially in humid climates — to nearly 34 million.

The injuries have included blinded victims, as well as those who appeared to be stabbed or shot when police showed up to minor fender benders. Honda was one of the companies that recalled nearly 5 million more vehicles on Thursday, May 14, 2015, after the Takata airbag problem was revealed.

The airbag inflator defect has reportedly caused six deaths and at least 100 injuries.

The Toyota airbag recall affects more than 637,000 vehicles.

[Image via NBC]