Skip to content

Carma Project and Toyota unveil Spanish-language version of peer-to-peer Takata airbag recall platform

Launch of new site targets large number of vehicles in areas with higher percentage of Hispanics that are likely to still be equipped with deadly Takata airbags

Addressing the community of Spanish-speaking car owners and drivers, the peer-to-peer safety platform Carma Project—in collaboration with Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) —has established a Spanish-language version of its site, the first-ever community-driven and incentive-based program designed exclusively for accelerating consumer response to the Takata airbag recall.

According to data provided to Carma Project by the independent Takata Monitor and sourced from the United States Census Bureau, zip codes where a majority of residents are of Hispanic descent are more likely to have unrepaired faulty Takata airbags than those with lower concentrations of residents of Hispanic descent. The Takata Monitor’s research indicates that only approximately 52 percent of vehicles equipped with potentially deadly Takata airbags have been repaired in regions with a high concentration of Hispanic residents (between 80 and 100 percent). Conversely, in areas where the Hispanic demographic makes up a lower percentage of the population (20 percent or less), completion rates are significantly higher.

Regions reflected in these data have been identified by zip code, according to information provided by the United States Census Bureau. For specifics, please see chart.

“Given the urgency and magnitude of this recall, targeting the Spanish-speaking community is part of an overall outreach strategy,” said Carma Project CEO Fabio Gratton. “The higher rate at which unrepaired airbags exist within this community makes it important that we raise awareness there.”

This latest update from Carma Project will further help address the recall of deadly Takata airbags, which is labeled “the largest and most complex safety recall in U.S. history” by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The recall continues to impact vehicles built by 19 different automakers, with a projected 70 million airbags expected to be recalled by the end of 2019. In the face of more than a dozen deaths and hundreds of alleged injuries industry-wide, millions of drivers and passengers continue to be at risk.

Despite extensive efforts by manufacturers, such as recall letters, public service announcements, and dealer interventions, consumer response to fixing these potentially life-threatening airbags continues to be lower than hoped, with 1 out of every 3 affected airbags still unrepaired.

Please click here to view the full press release.

SOURCE: Toyota

Welcome back , to continue browsing the site, please click here