And yes they pose a severe risk of death under the right circumstances....so much so that if you purchase one of these cars affected...you are in essence buying a lottery ticket for your own demise.
So...........what are the "right circumstances"? Is it better to just get rid of them on affected vehicles? Both cars we own are on the lists provided.
The obvious “right” circumstance would be a front end collision that could deploy the airbags.
Beyond that, testing has shown that high temperatures, moisture and age are also circumstances that would/could cause the bags to inflate and that could cause serious injury or death.
It has become so serious, that Ford recommended not driving 2006 Ford Ranger pickups until the airbags were replaced. Further, the automobile manufacturers have contacted automobile salvage companies and have bought every intact airbag in their inventories.
So what to do.
If you do not already own one of these vehicles, you should not buy any of those on the list without going to the website I posted above and put in your VIN number to see if a) the vehicle is subject to recall; and b) if the vehicle has been repaired.....many have, but millions more have not.
If you do already own one on the list, put in the VIN to see if you are actually affected. If so, you should call your dealer immediately. Unfortunately, if you are in the DR, you are likely out of luck.
Your options then are to continue to drive the vehicle, sell it, or try to contact the manufacturer to see if they will authorize a repair outside the country.
Note that like a lottery ticket, not everyone will be affected....but that decision to continue to operate any of those vehicles is yours alone.....and there are thousands of vehicles currently being driven and offered for sale in the DR with these airbags.
The manufacturer, Takata, faced with billions in damages from fines and wrongful death lawsuits filed Bankruptcy.
Respectfully,
Playacaribe2