Following the massive Takata air bag recall, which began in 2013, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has now called on automakers to detail replacement efforts on their websites.
Such public disclosures are meant to speed the process by which consumers can replace defective air bags. It is a matter of learning from automakers’ recall experiences and from one another, NHTSA Deputy Administrator Heidi King said.
“It is imperative that manufacturers take every available step to reach each and every owner of a vehicle with deadly air bags, and take action to ensure that those dangerous air bags are replaced as soon as is safely possible,” King said. “Public plans will be a resource to communities and to individual consumers to support effective recall implementation nationwide.”
King met with affected automakers and reportedly pressed them to accelerate replacement efforts and to use innovative methodologies to help. Given that 19 vehicle manufacturers and an estimated 37 million U.S. vehicles have been affected by the recall, there is a lot at stake. NHTSA has coupled these calls on automakers with consumer outreach efforts to educate and inform about related risks and repair efforts.