By Patrick Olsen, CARFAX
As the Takata airbag recall begins its second decade, Carfax analysis of recall data shows that more than 118,000 vehicles that were identified in June 2024 as needing a Takata airbag replacement are no longer in operation, as of June 2025.
A vehicle may be identified as no longer in operation if it doesn’t show up as registered in any jurisdiction in the U.S. There are several possible reasons for this: It could mean a vehicle has been scrapped or parted out, is sitting idle and undrivable somewhere, or just hasn’t been registered in the past year. It also may have been exported, among other potential situations.
A key concern regarding these vehicles that are no longer in operation is that unscrupulous actors may put used airbags into a vehicle needing a new airbag but charge owners and/or insurers for a new one. (Other bad actors also sell fake airbags, which can have deadly results.)
Extended exposure to heat and humidity can cause Takata airbag inflators to deploy far more explosively than expected. That excessive force can launch pieces of metal surrounding the inflator into a vehicle’s cabin like shrapnel, posing a high risk to occupants. NHTSA says 28 people in the U.S. have been killed by these airbags, and at least 400 have been injured.
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