Takada Recall Questions 

"zeontestpilot" (zeontestpilot) 02/27/2015 at 09:02 • Filed to: Recall, takada, toyota, corolla

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Update: Apparently what happened to my sister is the norm. I called a local Toyota dealership and asked them questions, and they confirm that everything was done the way it should have been done. The southern humidity weakens the airbags, so any car that has ever been registered down in the southern states is at risk. You just have deal with being passenger airbag-less until a new part is made....whenever that is. Also, the resale value is affected.

So I was talking to my mom last night, when she told me a that their Corolla, aka Peter, was affected by the Takada recall. And I have some questions on her behalf.

Peter is currently being used by my sister. She's attending college in Illinois, and the car is registered in Florida. When my parents got the recall notice they ask her to take the car in. The dealership disconnected and removed the airbag, then they keep it for 3 weeks waiting for a sticker. A sticker which they placed on the passengers side, that roughly said "no on is allowed to sit on this seat". And she was told there probably won't be a fix for the airbag.

So...a sticker resolves the airbag issue? One which they may not intend to fix? To me it sounds like Toyota is just trying to not be at blame here, saying it's not their fault if anything happens because they said "no one should ride in this seat". Your thoughts Oppo? Also, is there even a fix for it?

Also, what my mom really wants to know, is how this will affect the resale value of the car. There's no airbag on the passengers side, and might never be. Its technically now a 5 seat car which only seats 4 people. Would anyone even buy that?

Lastly, I read that the recall only affects cars in the southern states. So was it a unwise decision to remove it, with her being in Illinois?

Thanks for your response Oppo!

ttyymmnn > zeontestpilot 02/27/2015 at 09:09

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I don't know what to tell you, but I'll be interested to see what others say. This sounds really sketchy to me. I've got a Honda Odyssey, and we're had the inflators replaced per the Takata recall. But they didn't remove the entire airbag. As I understand it, the airbag itself isn't the issue, it's the metal surrounding the inflator that causes shrapnelly death. If your mom got a recall notice in the mail, there should be an 800 number to call for more info.

zeontestpilot > ttyymmnn 02/27/2015 at 09:11

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My mom told me the that the dealership didn't even know about the recall, which is worrying to begin with. That, or people who just don't care much about their jobs....who then are the ones fixing your cars... :/

Funktheduck > zeontestpilot 02/27/2015 at 09:19

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People have ridden in cars without air bags for a long time. That sticker is there to cover their ass in case of an accident. That way if someone is injured they just say "we told you not to sit there".

I imagine it diminishes the value of the car for some people. If two cars held equal on all points except one is missing an airbag people will go for the one with the air bag or want a discount for the one without.

kanadanmajava1 > zeontestpilot 02/27/2015 at 09:28

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That's really ridiculous.

In Finland you just cannot remove any such safety equipment if there isn't a sister model that would have been available without the airbag. And this applies to everyone not just the owners. And sticker wouldn't solve anything here.

I think it could be done if the whole seat would be removed too. Replace the seat with a fridge and/or a DJ set and have party mobile?

zeontestpilot > Funktheduck 02/27/2015 at 09:30

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Yeah, i figured the sticker was put in for legal reasons. I just don't think Toyota will ever make a replacement for this older car, which makes it unfortunate and s bit unsafe if there is an accident.

My mom is worried someone might sue them if they are sitting in that spot and got in a accident...which is a valid concern. Of course, what friend does that?

WindexCheese > Funktheduck 02/27/2015 at 09:36

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Sorry, but if true, this doesn't fly with me. Being north of the border, we're a little less lawsuit happy, but I would be talking to my lawyer. You can't unilaterally declare a 25% reduction in vehicle seating capacity as a solution to a faulty airbag.

Recalls don't work that way. Would it have been acceptable for Toyota to install a "do not use" sticker on their camry accelerator pedals a couple years ago and instruct everyone to allow the engine idle to take care of acceleration duties?

zeontestpilot > kanadanmajava1 02/27/2015 at 09:37

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Thank you, I thought it was too. Because now the car can't be operated to its full capacity. Though the question is, if while in IL, she got in a car accident, would shrapnel still be an issue if the airbag went off?

jariten1781 > zeontestpilot 02/27/2015 at 09:59

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Here a removed airbag would fail inspection so the car wouldn't be legal to drive (even if there's a sticker saying don't sit here). I had an autocross car that I pulled the passenger airbag and seat so you literally couldn't sit there and I still had to get a sketchy shop to blaze off the inspection.

I don't believe that will be the end solution. They probably are just low priority and you'll get a new airbag in 6-9 months or something. There's no way that's permanent or they're getting class-actioned which would be ludicrously expensive for something with as much sales volume as a Corolla.

And yeah, it'll definitely tank the resale. That's just a fact.

kanadanmajava1 > zeontestpilot 02/27/2015 at 10:08

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Takata researchers have probably exploded hundreds or even thousands of removed bags so they must have a probability figured out if the bag is going to be a deadly bomb. But I'm very sure that they aren't going to release it.

Takata has managed to dig so deep pit that I'm unable to figure out how they are going to get out of it. If they cannot even deliver proper solution it could be the end for them.

In automotive business it has been a very good advice to have several supplier of certain parts. If one goes to bankruptcy or cannot deliver decent quality I can always ditch them. Many companies are probably thinking about switching to another supplier.

On the other hand if they force Takata to bankruptcy by not buying anything for them they might have to solve the recall costs themselves. And no-one wants to spent a lot of money for solving a recall issue caused by their supplier.

But the car manufacturer's image to the new buyers would be a lot better if they could say that their new cars don't have a single piece built by Takata.

zeontestpilot > jariten1781 02/27/2015 at 10:18

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Good points. It makes me feel like the dealership is either uninformed, or just doesn't care. Makes me feel iffy about entrusting them with the car. Especially if there not in the recall loop....

Funktheduck > zeontestpilot 02/27/2015 at 11:09

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When it comes to money people become awful real fast. They say it shows their true colors. I've seen it first hand with inheritances.

BloodlessWeevil > zeontestpilot 02/27/2015 at 11:11

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Parts availability. They cannot just let you keep driving around with a defective airbag, but they have nothing to replace it with. Did they not say they would call as soon as they got the replacement parts in? That whole thing sounds really sketchy to me, I would take it to a different dealer no matter how far the drive is.

zeontestpilot > BloodlessWeevil 02/27/2015 at 11:28

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I thought it sounded sketchy as well. When I asked my mom about what they said about the parts, she said that they said "No plans at the moment. No replacement part even made".

But if the issue is for the southern states, I wonder if it was even necessary for it to be removed at all.

zeontestpilot > ttyymmnn 02/27/2015 at 12:20

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I updated the post. Apparently it's suppose to be taken out, there's just no replacement for it... :(