Millions Still Driving Vehicles With Deadly Takata Airbags

Published: February 16th, 2026

More than 5 million vehicles with potentially lethal airbags remain on American roads nearly two decades after the defect first surfaced, as Stellantis issued another urgent warning this week for 225,000 older Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram models that should not be driven until repaired.

The latest alert adds to what federal officials call the most complex safety recall in U.S. history—67 million Takata airbags installed in tens of millions of vehicles since the problem emerged in 2008. The defective inflators can explode during crashes, sending metal shrapnel into drivers and passengers. At least 28 people have died in the U.S. from the defect, with more than 400 injured.

“Even minor crashes can result in exploding Takata air bags that can kill or produce life-altering, gruesome injuries,” federal safety officials said in a statement. “Older model year vehicles put their occupants at higher risk, because older air bags are more likely to explode.”

What makes these airbags fail

The problem stems from Takata’s use of ammonium nitrate as a propellant in airbag inflators. When exposed to heat and humidity over years, the chemical degrades and becomes unstable. During deployment in a crash, the inflator can rupture with excessive force, turning the metal canister into shrapnel that tears through the airbag fabric.

The defect proved particularly dangerous in hot, humid states. Texas leads the nation with more than 660,000 unrepaired vehicles, followed by California with over 500,000. Florida and Arizona also show high concentrations of affected cars.

Vehicles older than 15 years face the highest risk. The chemical degradation accelerates over time, making inflators in 2001-2003 Honda Accords and Civics—some of the oldest affected models—especially prone to catastrophic failure.

Federal regulators first coordinated recalls with Honda in 2008 after reports of injuries. The problem expanded as testing revealed the defect affected inflators across multiple automakers. By 2014, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had launched a coordinated industry-wide response, phasing recalls through 2019 to manage the supply of replacement parts.

The Stellantis warning

Stellantis—the parent company of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram—told owners of roughly 225,000 older vehicles this week to stop driving them immediately. The company had already replaced 6.6 million Takata inflators in its vehicles, but these represent the remaining high-risk cases that owners haven’t brought in for repair.

The “Do Not Drive” list includes popular models like the 2005-2015 Chrysler 300, 2006-2015 Dodge Charger, 2008-2014 Dodge Challenger, and 2007-2016 Jeep Wrangler. Owners can contact the company at 833-585-0144 to arrange immediate free repairs.

Similar urgent warnings have come from other manufacturers in recent years. Ford issued a stop-drive order in 2023 for certain Rangers and Mustangs. Honda did the same for older Accords and Civics. The pattern reflects a growing recognition that the oldest vehicles pose immediate danger.

Federal data now shows more than 630,000 vehicles under “Do Not Drive” orders nationwide, though not all involve Takata airbags. The designation means the risk is severe enough that owners should park the vehicle until repairs are completed—not just schedule an appointment.

A recall that broke records

The scale of the Takata situation dwarfs previous automotive recalls. The 67 million affected airbags spread across more than 40 million vehicles from 19 manufacturers, touching nearly every major brand sold in America.

Takata Corporation collapsed under the weight of the crisis, filing for bankruptcy in 2017 after paying $1 billion in fines and settlements. Joyson Safety Systems acquired the company’s assets. Individual automakers have absorbed billions more in recall costs, legal settlements and penalties.

Honda, which used Takata inflators extensively, paid $574 million in 2019 to settle claims related to the defect. The company had already spent years managing waves of recalls affecting millions of Accords, Civics, CR-Vs and other models.

Federal regulators structured the recall in phases, prioritizing vehicles in hot, humid climates and those with the oldest inflators. The approach aimed to match the pace of repairs with the industry’s capacity to produce replacement parts. By 2019, the phased schedule was complete, but millions of vehicle owners still haven’t responded.

Why repairs lag behind

Despite years of outreach, completion rates remain stubbornly low for some vehicle segments. Older cars—especially those worth less than $5,000—show the lowest repair rates. Owners may not receive recall notices if they’ve moved without updating registration information. Some simply ignore the warnings, not grasping the severity.

“With major announcements like this one, all car owners should check their vehicles now to stay safe on the road,” said Faisal Hasan, a vice president at Carfax, which has partnered with federal officials on recall awareness. “Millions of unsafe cars have already been repaired thanks to partnerships with NHTSA and the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, but many still remain.”

The used car market compounds the problem. Vehicles change hands without new owners learning about open recalls. Dealers sometimes sell cars with unrepaired Takata airbags, though nine states and territories now require recall checks through Carfax’s Vehicle Recall Search Service.

Repairs remain free with no time limit. Federal rules require manufacturers to fix recall defects at no cost for at least 15 years after the initial recall, meaning even the oldest Takata cases qualify for free replacement through at least 2029. Any authorized dealer for the vehicle’s brand must perform the repair.

What vehicle owners should do

Checking a vehicle’s recall status takes minutes. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website at NHTSA.gov/recalls allows searches by VIN or year, make and model. The agency’s SaferCar mobile app provides the same functionality.

Owners of vehicles on the “Do Not Drive” list should contact their manufacturer immediately for a loaner vehicle or other transportation assistance while repairs are scheduled. Most companies prioritize these cases, often completing the work within days.

For vehicles with standard Takata recalls not yet under “Do Not Drive” orders, owners should still schedule repairs promptly. The inflators continue degrading, and today’s standard recall could become tomorrow’s urgent warning as more time passes.

The affected vehicle list spans dozens of models from 2001 through 2016. Beyond the Stellantis brands, it includes certain BMW 3-series and X5s, Ford Rangers and Mustangs, Honda Accords and CR-Vs, Mazda 6s and CX-7s, Nissan Sentras and Pathfinders, and Toyota Corollas and RAV4s. The full list appears on the NHTSA website.

Used car buyers should always check for open recalls before purchasing. A clean title doesn’t mean the vehicle is safe—recall repairs aren’t required for title transfer in most states. Carfax and similar services show recall status in vehicle history reports.

The Takata crisis reshaped how the auto industry and regulators handle large-scale safety defects. But for the 5 million vehicle owners who haven’t yet responded, the danger remains immediate and real. The repairs are free, the process is straightforward, and for those under “Do Not Drive” orders, the risk of waiting could be fatal.

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