Nissan has warned owners of older models to stop using vehicles if they are equipped with unrepaired Takata airbags.
The announcement was made on Wednesday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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The “Do Not Drive” warning affects about 83,920 vehicles, according to NHTSA. The affected models include the 2002-2006 Nissan Sentra, 2002-2004 Nissan Pathfinder and 2002-2003 Infiniti QX4, which may be equipped with Takata airbags, which were recalled in 2020.
Following the warning, Nissan shares fell about 3% at the close of trading on Wednesday.
“NHTSA urges all vehicle owners to immediately check to see if their vehicle has an open Takata airbag recall,” the NHTSA statement said. “If your vehicle is affected by this recall, do not drive it until the repair is complete and the defective airbag is replaced.”
Nissan and Infiniti will provide affected owners with free repairs, towing, mobile services , and replacement vehicles at select locations. Infiniti is a division of Nissan.
“Due to the age of vehicles equipped with defective Takata airbags, there is an increased risk of an explosion upon airbag deployment, which could cause sharp metal fragments to be ejected, leading to serious injury or even death,” spokesperson CNBC.
According to the NHTSA, 27 people in the United States have been confirmed dead from the explosion of defective Takata airbags. In addition, according to the same source, at least 400 people have been injured.
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More than 67 million Takata airbags have been recalled in the country and over 100 million worldwide, making this recall one of the largest in automotive.
In 2017, Takata filed for bankruptcy in Japan and the US after agreeing to pay $1 billion in penalties related to sales of its defective airbags.
Source: cnbc
