The Houston Chronicle reports that in Houston, community leaders have come together to inform drivers about defective Takata airbag inflators, which have been recalled for the risk of exploding in an accident. Two of the ten deaths in the US because of the defective bags have happened in Houston. DOT’s Recall Monitor John Buretta said, “There are thousands of defective air bags in Houston, in cars, in trucks, that need to be urgently removed from those vehicles to save lives.” Buretta added that older cars are particularly at risk. NHTSA Regional Administrator Georgia Chakiris emphasized that “this is one of those recalls we can’t wait until tomorrow.” Chakris added, “This is a massive recall, and as you can appreciate, it takes some time; each vehicle has a different type of engineering concerns that they have to address. It takes time to prepare and get adequate replacements for those inflators.”
Houston Public Media reports that City Councilman Steve Le urged car owners to be aggressive with local dealers about replacements and loaners. He said when he asked a local dealer, “Do you want someone that owns your car that could possibly die the next day that they drive?” He added, “They finally got us a loaner.”
The KTRK-TV Houston website reports that NHTSA is also working with Uber to “provide free and discounted rides for people who don’t have the use of their car while it’s being fixed.”
Contact the professional team at Gill & Chamas to inquire about our services regarding airbag safety and accidents.
