By now you’ve probably read about Takata’s airbag recall, which has affected General Motors products like the Pontiac Vibe. Now GM Authority has received word that General Motors will be fixing the problem rather than disabling the airbags, as is the route Toyota is taking.
GM spokesman Alan Adler said yesterday the automaker has the parts to fix the 17,000 Toyota-based Pontiac Vibes, and if GM doesn’t have the parts in stock, it will give free loaners to owners.
Meanwhile, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) told Takata yesterday it must answer specific questions under oath and provide documents by December 1 about its recall of almost 8 million vehicles equipped with its airbags or face fines of up to $7,000 per day.
“We are compelling Takata to produce documents and answer questions under oath relevant to our ongoing investigation into defective air bags they have produced. We expect Takata’s full cooperation as we work to keep the American public safe,” said NHTSA Deputy Administrator David Friedman.
According to The Detroit News, Takata vowed earlier this week to speed production of replacement parts after telling NHTSA in September it would only be able to build 1.47 million replacement parts by the end of February.
All told, more than 16 million vehicles with Takata air bags have been recalled since 2008 by 11 automakers because “high humidity or production defects” may cause them to potentially throw shrapnel and cause injury or death.
Comments
I received the letter today from GM Canada explaining about the airbag recall for the front passenger side of the 2006 Vibe. The letter states that GM does not have the parts available to repair my vehicle and goes on to add: “Until the repair is performed, the front passenger seat should not be occupied.” This is not a viable option for me. By making this statement, does this negate any responsibility that GM has in the case of the faulty airbag deploying and injuring someone in my car?
Please send me the $25.00 Mastercard as the work on my 2004 Vibe to have the airbags has been completed. The Vin# is 5Y2SL62864Z422488. My address is 702 Cranston Rd Beloit, Wi. 53511. Thank you.