Airbag Demand Spawns a New Criminal Enterprise

Airbag thefts in 2018 are expected to have skyrocketed to meet the demand from the Takata airbag recall

Tuesday, October 16, 2018 - The demand for airbags to replace the faulty ones is truly astonishing. The Takata airbag recall encompasses around 100 million driver and passenger-side airbag and that number could double. Automotive dealers and independent repair shops are working around the clock to meet the demand to replace the exploding Takata airbags and to do so as quickly as possible. To date, only around one-half of the motor vehicles affected by the recall have complied. A motorist can be expected to wait weeks and sometimes months before a dealership has the time to make the necessary repairs. Auto manufacturers have promised to make a rental car available at no charge while the repairs take place.

The demand for airbags is unprecedented and provides criminals with a financial windfall. It takes about five minutes to break into an automobile, first by cutting the vehicle's power supply and then quickly smashing the driver's side window. The driver's side airbag can be pried from the steering column without the criminal even having to open the door and enter the car. Airbag thieves can be paid $300-$500 for each airbag they steal. Auto repair shops than expense $700-$1000 for insurance purposes and pocket the difference in what amounts to insurance fraud.

The reason that Honda automobiles are targeted for airbag theft more often than other makes is illustrated by the Takata airbag recall itself. There is currently an astronomical demand for airbags as the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) is in the process of implementing the largest automotive recall in US history for a single reason: to replace the faulty and often deadly "Takata Airbag." Currently, 50 million vehicles are subject to recall and that number could increase to 75 million vehicles by 2020.

Even though a Honda spokesperson recently told www.jalopnik.com that Honda has "plenty of replacement inflators," and saying that the idea that there's a connection between the Takata recalls and the airbag thefts is "blatantly untrue," the increase in airbag thefts cannot be dismissed as pure coincidence. More Honda motor vehicles have been the subject of the Takata airbag recall than any other auto manufacturer and demand for replacement Honda airbags has never been greater. Honda just recently announced that they would be recalling an additional 1.4 million Honda and Accuras due to the faulty, exploding Takata airbag inflator. Honda motor vehicles lead the list in terms of the number of deaths attributed to the faulty airbag. Honda owners in the southern parts of Florida, Texas, and California appear to be in the most danger since the airbag propellant cannister can explode due to high heat and humidity. Older Honda's, the ones made in 2001, 2002, and 2003 are at the greatest risk. According to Newsweek.com Honda has completed only about 3/4 of the total number of motor vehicles subject to the airbag recall.

More Recent Takata Airbag Lawsuit News:

• Automakers Are Starting to Pay Cash Incentives To Those Who Refer Takata Airbag Repair Business | 3/11/2019
• Used Car Dealerships Are Responsible For The Millions of Vehicles That Have Not Complied With The Takata Airbag Recall | 3/8/2019
• Takata Executives Sold Shares Anticipating Bankruptcy Filing | 3/4/2019
• The NHTSA Recommends Airbag On/Off Switches in Some Vehicles | 2/28/2019
• More Reasons The Takata Airbag Recall is Not Succeeding | 2/24/2019
• Many Obstacles Stand In The Way of Effectively Replacing The Takata Airbag | 2/18/2019
• Millions of More Vehicles Were Added to the Takata Airbag Recall in February 2019 | 2/12/2019
• Takata Airbag Recall's Mixed Results | 2/5/2019
• 2018 and 2019 Hondas Are The Most At Risk For Airbag Theft | 1/31/2019
• January 2019 Kicks Off Another Expansion of the Takata Airbag Recall | 1/24/2019
• Automaker May Fail to Take Takata Airbag Recall Seriously | 1/21/2019
• General Motors Was Told That Takata Airbags Were Dangerous as Early as 1999 | 1/17/2019
• The Takata Airbag Recall Is Being Largely Ignored by Motor Vehicle Owners Ten Year In | 1/11/2019
• Ford Expands The Number of Vehicles Subject to the Takata Airbag Recall | 1/8/2019
• Toyota Offers Gift Card For Referring Takata Airbag Replacement Candidates | 1/2/2019
• General Motors Claims Their Takata Airbags Will Not Hurt You | 12/6/2018
• Add Mercedes-Benz to the Takata Airbag Recall That Continues To Be Ignored by Millions of Drivers | 12/3/2018
• Takata Airbag Disposal Presents Enoumous Challenge | 11/28/2018
• General Motors is Questioning The Takata Airbag Recall | 10/31/2018
• Takata Airbag Recall is Ever-Expanding | 10/26/2018
• Motor Vehicle Airbag Theft Increased 400 Percent in 2017 | 10/10/2018
• Countries With Hot Humid Climates Are in Great Risk For Takata Airbag Malfunctions | 10/3/2018
• Many Are At Fault For Takata Airbag Recall Failures | 9/28/2018
• An Urgent Motor Vehicle Recall Announcement To Owners of 2006 Ford Ranger and Mazda B-Series Pickups | 9/27/2018
• Auto Industry Whistle Blowers Can Save Lives | 9/26/2018
• Drivers May Be Ticketed For Failing To Comply With Motor Vehicle Recalls | 9/25/2018
• Congress Considering Automobile Safety Recall Bill | 9/22/2018
• The Twenty-Fifth Takata Airbag Death Has Been Reported | 9/19/2018
• Executives At Takata And The Major Automakers Knew Ammonium Nitrate Was Dangerous | 9/17/2018
• Recalling and Replacing All Takata Airbags MayTake Decades | 9/11/2018
• The NHTSA Is Under Fire For Mishandling The Takata Airbag Recall | 8/31/2018
• Highlights of The Takata Airbag Recall | 8/27/2018
• An Urgent Takata Airbag Recall Announcement To Owners of the 2006 Ford Ranger Pickup | 8/22/2018
• Takata's Airbag Recall is Expanding Worldwide | 8/16/2018
• Takata Airbag Deaths May be Underestimated | 8/13/2018
• Major Automakers May Have Played a Role in Choosing Takata Airbag Propellant Chemical | 8/9/2018
• Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Are Urged to Use Facebook to Contact Takata Airbag-Related Vehicle Owners | 8/7/2018
• Using Facebook and Twitter to Get The Word Out About Exploding Takata Airbags and the Takata Recall | 8/3/2018
• Takata Executives Could Have Prevented 24 Deaths Yet Did Nothing | 7/31/2018
• The Department of Justice Holds the NHTSA Responsible for the Slow Pace of Takata Airbag Recalls | 7/27/2018
• Class Action Lawsuits Force Automakers to Take Greater Recall Measures | 7/25/2018
• Certain Cars and Trucks At Extreme Risk in Takata Airbag Recall | 7/23/2018
• South Floridians Need to Have Their Vehicle's Airbags Replaced | 7/20/2018
• Lawsuits Accuse Major Automobile Manufacturers of Takata Airbag Fraud | 7/18/2018
• Takata Airbag Replacement Has Reached International Proportions | 7/16/2018
• Mazda Issues Emergency Takata Airbags Vehicle Recall | 7/11/2018
• A Whistleblower Courage Can Save Lives | 7/6/2018
• Takata Airbag Recall Obstacles | 6/30/2018
• Post A Takata Airbag Warning to Your Facebook Page | 6/27/2018
• Automakers Knew of Defective Takata Airbags Back in 2003 | 6/25/2018
• Floridians Have The Highest Risk From Exploding Takata Airbags | 6/20/2018
• Why You Should Check The Takata Airbag Recall Status Of Your Vehicle | 6/14/2018
• Concern Growing For Takata Airbag Recall Compliance | 6/12/2018
• Takata Airbag Vehicle Recall Going Too Slowly For Some | 6/6/2018
• Takata Employee Whistle Blower Triggers Vehicle Recall | 5/30/2018
• The Takata Airbag Recall May Be Failing | 5/28/2018
• Check to See if Your Vehicle is Being Recalled | 5/22/2018
• The Takata Airbag Recall is Taking Longer Than Expected | 5/17/2018
• An Outline Of The Takata Airbag Scandal | 5/14/2018
• The Ongoing Takata Airbag Recall | 5/9/2018
• Takata Airbags Auto Recall Update May 2018 | 5/6/2018
• Defective Takata Airbags Prompt a Recall and Lawsuits | 5/2/2018
• What Does The Takata Bankruptcy Mean For Consumers | 4/24/2018
• Takata Defective Airbag Vehicle Recall Update | 4/10/2018
• Takata Airbag Victims Could Be Thousands More Than Reported | 4/5/2018
• Takata Airbag Recall Update | 4/2/2018
• Takata Executives Knew of the Defective Airbags | 3/29/2018
• Takata Corporation Airbag Lawsuits | 3/26/2018
• Takata Airbag Injuries | 3/21/2018
• The Defective Takata Airbag | 3/13/2018
• A Summary of the Takata Airbag Recall | 3/5/2018
• Takata Class Action Lawsuits Continue to Grow | 6/26/2017
• Exploding Takata Airbag Canisters Causes Injuries and Death | 6/19/2017
• Takata Airbag Malfunction and Who Can Sue | 6/12/2017
• Takata Executives Indicted for Falsifying or Discarding the Damaging Information | 6/5/2017

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