The Never Ending Takata Recalls

If the damage is constantly coming in it’s impossible to recover

The Takata airbag recalls keep on coming. It seems we’ve heard about yet another set of vehicles to be included every few months since late 2014 at least, with the latest announcement calling in approximately 331,000 Toyota vehicles. Here’s what the automaker had to say:

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. today announced that it is expanding two of its recalls involving Takata front passenger airbag inflators. This will add model years of certain vehicles previously recalled and will cover all remaining dual-stage front passenger inflators of a particular type, as a precautionary measure.

Approximately 198,000 Model Year 2008 Corolla and Corolla Matrix and Model Year 2008-2010 Lexus SC 430 vehicles will be added to the recalls.

The involved vehicles are equipped with a Takata-produced dual-stage front passenger airbag inflator which could potentially be susceptible to rupture when deployed in a crash.

All known owners of the affected Toyota / Lexus vehicles will be notified by first class mail. Dealers will replace the airbag inflator or the airbag assembly with a newly manufactured one at no cost.

Information about automotive recalls, including but not limited to the list of involved vehicles, is subject to change over time. For the most up-do-date Safety Recall information on Toyota, Lexus or Scion vehicles, customers should check their vehicle’s status by visiting toyota.com/recall and entering the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Safety Recall inquiry by individual VIN is also available at the NHTSA site: safercar.gov/vin. For any additional questions, customer support is also available by calling Toyota Customer Service at 1-800-331-4331, or Lexus Customer Service at 1-800-255-3987.

This recall is atypical in that it’s being dragged out over a much longer period of time than most. While usually there is a period of uncertainty and distrust that can then be overcome, the steady stream of new additions to the list of recalled vehicles has consumers baffled. Thus far we’ve seen initial recalls that had significant numbers added to the list later on from Toyota, Honda, Mercedes Benz and GM. Will we continue to see a “death by 1000 cuts” strategy, wherein each company involved (and Takata itself) drags its feet on a recall of each individual vehicle make until it’s faced with undeniable proof that the airbags could be faulty? Or, is it time for brands to step up to protect their customers by eating the cost of repairing every vehicle that could have even possibly been involved?

The BCM Blogging Team
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com