August 30, 2018—Extreme heat is making Takata air bags explode and prompting a recall, reported Fortune.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is warning that tens of millions of cars with Takata air bags face an increased chance of exploding in hot and humid conditions, according to the report.
According to the NHTSA, there are 50 million defective Takata airbags in 37 million U.S. vehicles. Many of them are in states such as Texas and California, where months of hot, humid weather can cause a chemical propellant in many Takata airbags to explode, sending shrapnel into vehicle passengers.
Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina are also considered states where hot and humid conditions can put defective airbags at a higher risk of exploding.
The NHTSA’s site hosts a database of vehicles affected by the Takata recall. Consumers can type in their vehicle identification number to see if they need to replace their airbags. The agency warned that more vehicles will soon be added to the recall, bringing the total number of affected air bags to between 65 million and 70 million by December 2019, according to Fortune.
