‘Do not drive’ warning for certain older Nissan and Infiniti cars

Reporter: Andryanna Sheppard
Published: Updated:
FILE - In this July 25, 2019, file, photo, Nissan logo is seen at a Nissan car gallery in Tokyo. Nissan Chief Executive Hiroto Saikawa tendered his resignation Monday, Sept. 9, 2019, after acknowledging that he had received dubious income and vowed to pass the leadership of the Japanese automaker to a new generation. Board member Yasushi Kimura told reporters at an evening news conference at company headquarters in Yokohama that the board has approved Saikawa's resignation, effective Sept. 16, and a successor will be appointed next month. A search is underway, he added.(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)
FILE – In this July 25, 2019, file, photo, Nissan logo is seen at a Nissan car gallery in Tokyo. Nissan Chief Executive Hiroto Saikawa tendered his resignation Monday, Sept. 9, 2019, after acknowledging that he had received dubious income and vowed to pass the leadership of the Japanese automaker to a new generation. Board member Yasushi Kimura told reporters at an evening news conference at company headquarters in Yokohama that the board has approved Saikawa’s resignation, effective Sept. 16, and a successor will be appointed next month. A search is underway, he added.(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

Planning a road trip this summer? Make sure your car is safe before you hit the road.

If you have certain older Nissans or infinities, the company said to stop driving them now.

Takata airbags can explode and shoot out metal fragments, seriously hurting or even killing drivers.

This recall is for 2002 to 2006 Nissan Sentras, 2002 to 2004 Pathfinders and 2002 to 2003 Infiniti QX4s.

The ‘do not drive’ warning comes after someone in a Sentra was killed by an exploding front inflator, and 58 people were injured since 2015.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Nissan dealers are offering free towing, mobile repair and, in some places, loaner vehicles. Toyota issued the same warning for older Corollas and Rav-4s.

So why are these airbags still in cars, and why are they still exploding?

NHTSA said that exposure over time to heat and humidity can cause metal parts inside them to shoot out at people in the car when they go off, even in minor accidents.

About 67 million Takata airbags have been recalled over the years.

At least 35 people have been killed worldwide by Takata inflators since May 2009. 27 of those deaths were here in the U.S. One was a Floridian.

About 400 people have also been injured. These exploding, deadly airbags sent Takata of Japan into bankruptcy.

This NHTSA chart shows that there are still 7 million Takata airbags on the road in the United States as of April 2024, so that doesn’t even include the new Nissan ‘do not drive’ warning.

NHTSA has a list of every make and model that’s ever put out one of those notices.

Just type in your VIN number.

Click here for more information.

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