Procurement News Notice |
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| PNN | 776 |
| Work Detail | Local dealerships are still repairing faulty air bags because of a national recall that keeps growing. Millions of vehicles were added to the recall in May because they were determined to also have defective air bags manufactured by the Japanese company Takata. The expansion of the recall just is the latest one ordered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The air bag recall has continued to grow since it was expanded by the federal agency to a national level in fall 2014. So far, the air bags have been blamed for 11 deaths and more than 150 injuries; 10 of those deaths occurred in Honda vehicles. Besides Honda, the recall has affected more than a dozen major automakers, including Toyota, Ford, Chevrolet, Chrysler, BMW and Mazda. When deployed in accidents, the air bag inflators can explode with too much force and spray metal shrapnel at occupants. Inflators are metal cartridges that use the chemical ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion, filling air bags in a crash. The inflators are more likely to malfunction after they are degraded by age and hot, humid weather. That is why the recall, which is being done in phases through 2019, has affected higher-risk vehicles in Southern states sooner than those in the Midwest. Some vehicles won't be recalled until future dates. The May expansion increased the number of recalled air bags nationwide from about 29 million to nearly 70 million. To find out if their vehicles are impacted, people should contact their local dealership or visit SaferCar.gov; on the website, they can search for recalls by vehicle identification number or by make and model. Defective air bags are being repaired by dealerships for free. Dealerships aren't paying anything because repairs are being covered by automakers. Collectively, about 10 million driver and front-seat passenger air bags were repaired nationwide as of Aug. 12, and about 6.6 million of those were in Honda vehicles, according to NHTSA. Honda, which is at the center of the recall, has been Takata's biggest customer. Because some models have been impacted by the recall more than others, air bag repairs have varied among local dealerships. Don Reese, chief operating officer of Mishawaka-based Gurley Leep Automotive Group, which has a Honda dealership in Elkhart, said the group's air bag repairs have increased this summer because replacement parts for the recall have become available. "They started out trying to supply air bags to humid and hot climates, and now we're starting to see more parts available here," Reese said, adding that the dealership has had to postpone the sale of some of its used vehicles because of defective air bags. "We're still focused on customer vehicles, but we have our own vehicles we can't resell because of this" until air bags are repaired. He could not estimate how many repairs have been made, however, or say whether Honda vehicles account for most of them. The group sells an array of vehicle models at several locations. Bob Hayden, general manager for Jordan Automotive Group of Mishawaka, which sells Ford and Toyota vehicles, said only 10 to 15 customers have had air bags repaired since the recall was expanded in May. He could not estimate the total number of repairs that have been made. "I think Toyota has taken the lead as far as addressing which models may be affected today and down the road. We can check the customer's VIN to see if they have a current recall and find out if they have a model that will be affected in a future recall," Hayden said. Dennis Pynaert, operations manager for Gates Automotive Group based in South Bend, said the group has done a "very limited" air bag repairs — about 20 per month — this summer . He said the group, which sells Chevrolet and Toyota vehicles, has repaired collectively repaired 200 air bags since spring 2015. "For both of our brands, it hasn't been a really high-volume thing. But they continually come out with more and more makes and models for the recall," Pynaert said, adding that he believes Honda dealerships have been impacted the most. |
| Country | United States , Northern America |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Entry Date | 02 Sep 2016 |
| Source | http://www.southbendtribune.com/news/business/michiana-car-dealerships-still-repairing-faulty-air-bags-after-recall/article_e0026f47-ee6a-5003-8812-38cd531a3b64.html |
