The U.S. government is adding more than 3 million vehicles to a rare warning about faulty air bags that have the potential to kill or injure drivers or passengers in a crash.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Wednesday put out a new list of vehicles, increasing the number from 4.7 million to 7.8 million. The agency urged people to get their cars repaired if they're being recalled, especially in Florida and along the Gulf Coast.
The air bag inflators made by parts supplier Takata can rupture, causing metal fragments to fly out when the bags are inflated. Safety advocates say at least four people have died from the problem.
"This message comes with urgency," NHTSA said in a statement.
The warning covers many models from BMW, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Mazda, Honda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru and Toyota.
NHTSA urged people to check if their car has been recalled by visiting its website and typing in their vehicle identification number.
BMW: 627,615 total number of potentially affected vehicles
- 2000 – 2005 3 Series Sedan
- 2000 – 2006 3 Series Coupe
- 2000 – 2005 3 Series Sports Wagon
- 2000 – 2006 3 Series Convertible
- 2001 – 2006 M3 Coupe
- 2001 – 2006 M3 Convertible
Chrysler: 371,309 total number of potentially affected vehicles
- 2003 – 2008 Dodge Ram 1500
- 2005 – 2008 Dodge Ram 2500
- 2006 – 2008 Dodge Ram 3500
- 2006 – 2008 Dodge Ram 4500
- 2008 – Dodge Ram 5500
- 2005 – 2008 Dodge Durango
- 2005 – 2008 Dodge Dakota
- 2005 – 2008 Chrysler 300
- 2007 – 2008 Chrysler Aspen
Ford: 58,669 total number of potentially affected vehicles
- 2004 – Ranger
- 2005 – 2006 GT
- 2005 – 2007 Mustang
General Motors: undetermined number of potentially affected vehicles
- 2003 – 2005 Pontiac Vibe
- 2005 – Saab 9-2X
Honda: 5,051,364 total number of potentially affected vehicles
- 2001 – 2007 Honda Accord
- 2001 – 2005 Honda Civic
- 2002 – 2006 Honda CR-V
- 2003 – 2011 Honda Element
- 2002 – 2004 Honda Odyssey
- 2003 – 2007 Honda Pilot
- 2006 – Honda Ridgeline
- 2003 – 2006 Acura MDX
- 2002 – 2003 Acura TL/CL
- 2005 – Acura RL
Mazda: 64,872 total number of potentially affected vehicles
- 2003 – 2007 Mazda6
- 2006 – 2007 MazdaSpeed6
- 2004 – 2008 Mazda RX-8
- 2004 – 2005 MPV
- 2004 – B-Series Truck
Mitsubishi: 11,985 total number of potentially affected vehicles
- 2004 – 2005 Lancer
- 2006 – 2007 Raider
Nissan: 694,626 total number of potentially affected vehicles
- 2001 – 2003 Nissan Maxima
- 2001 – 2004 Nissan Pathfinder
- 2002 – 2004 Nissan Sentra
- 2001 – 2004 Infiniti I30/I35
- 2002 – 2003 Infiniti QX4
- 2003 – 2005 Infiniti FX35/FX45
Subaru: 17,516 total number of potentially affected vehicles
- 2003 – 2005 Baja
- 2003 – 2005 Legacy
- 2003 – 2005 Outback
- 2004 – 2005 Impreza
Toyota: 877,000 total number of potentially affected vehicles
- 2002 – 2005 Lexus SC
- 2002 – 2005 Toyota Corolla
- 2003 – 2005 Toyota Corolla Matrix
- 2002 – 2005 Toyota Sequoia
- 2003 – 2005 Toyota Tundra
Toyota said repairs will be done for free and notices will go into the mail starting around Oct. 25, according to documents. People who live in areas that are outside of the recall zone who are afraid of driving their cars should contact their dealerships, Hanson said.
According to the NHTSA, once recall notices are available, owners can get a copy fromSaferCar.gov, or will receive one by mail. Owners are advised to carefully follow the instructions.
