Nissan warns owners of older vehicles not to drive them due to the risk of airbag inflators exploding

DETROIT (AP) — Nissan is asking owners of about 84,000 older vehicles to stop driving them because their Takata airbag inflators have a higher risk of exploding in a crash and releasing dangerous metal fragments.

Wednesday’s urgent request comes after a person in a Nissan was killed by an exploding front passenger inflator and up to 58 people have been injured since 2015.

“Due to the age of vehicles equipped with defective Takata airbag inflators, there is an increased risk that the inflator may explode during airbag deployment, projecting sharp metal fragments that could cause serious injury or death,” Nissan said in a statement. .

Nissan said the “do not drive” advisory covers some 2002 to 2006 Sentra small cars, as well as some 2002 to 2004 Pathfinder SUVs and 2002 and 2003 Infiniti QX4 SUVs. Owners can find out if their vehicles are affected by visiting nissanusa.com/takata-airbag-recall or infinitiusa.com/takata-airbag-recall and entering the 17-digit vehicle identification number.

The company says owners should contact their dealer to set up an appointment to have the inflators replaced for free. Nissan is also offering free towing to dealers, and in some locations mobile services and loaner cars are available.

“Even minor accidents can result in the explosion of Takata airbags that can kill or produce horrific, life-altering injuries,” the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a statement. The age of the air bag is one of the contributing factors.”

Nissan originally recalled 736,422 vehicles in 2020 to replace Takata inflators. The company said about 84,000 remain unrepaired and are believed to still be in use.

Nissan said it has made numerous attempts to reach owners with unrepaired Takata inflators.

The death was reported to NHTSA in 2018, the company said. The person killed was in a 2006 Sentra, according to Nissan.

The death is one of 27 in the US caused by the faulty inflators, which used volatile ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion to inflate the airbags in an accident. The chemical can deteriorate over time when exposed to high temperatures and humidity. It can explode with great force, destroying a metal canister and expelling shrapnel. More than 400 people in the US were injured.

Worldwide, at least 35 people have been killed by Takata inflators in Malaysia, Australia and the US

The possibility of a dangerous malfunction led to the largest series of automobile recalls in U.S. history, with at least 67 million Takata inflators involved. The U.S. government says many have not been repaired. Around 100 million inflators have been collected worldwide. The exploding airbags sent Takata in bankruptcy.

Honda, Ford, BMW, Toyota and Stellantis and Mazda issued similar “do not drive” warnings for some of your vehicles equipped with Takata inflators.