A Nissan Sentra sits on a dealer’s lot in Evanston, Illinois, on November 12, 2010.
Scott Olson | Getty Images
Nissan has warned owners of older vehicles to abandon running cars equipped with recalled, unrepaired Takata airbags, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Wednesday.
The NHTSA said the Japanese automaker’s “Do Not Drive” warning applies to 83,920 cars. Affected vehicles include the 2002-2006 Nissan Sentra, 2002-2004 Nissan Pathfinder and 2002-2003 Infiniti QX4, which may have Takata airbags and were recalled in 2020.
Nissan shares closed Wednesday’s session down around 3% following the warning.
“NHTSA urges all vehicle owners to immediately check whether their vehicle is subject to a Takata open airbag recall,” NHTSA said in a statement. “If you own one of these vehicles, you must not drive it until the repairs are complete and the defective airbag is replaced.”
Nissan and Infiniti are offering affected owners free towing and repair services as well as rental cars at select locations. Infiniti is a division of Nissan.
“Due to the age of vehicles equipped with defective Takata airbag inflators, there is an increased risk that the inflator will explode during airbag deployment, throwing sharp metal fragments that could cause serious injury or death,” a Nissan said spokesperson told CNBC in a statement.
According to the NHTSA, 27 people have been confirmed killed in the United States by the explosion of a defective Takata airbag. According to the NHTSA, at least 400 other people are believed to have been injured.
At least 67 million Takata airbag inflators have been recalled in the country and more than 100 million worldwide, making it one of the largest auto safety recalls in history.
In 2017, Takata filed for bankruptcy protection in Japan and the United States after agreeing to pay $1 billion in penalties related to its alleged fraudulent behavior in selling its defective airbag inflators.
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2024-05-29 20:16:06
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