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Brand new cars are being sold with defective Takata airbags

If you just bought a 2016 Audi TT, 2017 Audi R8, 2016–17 Mitsubishi i-MiEV, or 2016 Volkswagen CC, we have some unsettling news for you. A report provided to a US Senate committee that oversees the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and reported on by Automotive News claims these vehicles were sold with defective Takata airbags. And it gets worse. Toyota and FCA are called out in the report for continuing to build vehicles that will need to be recalled down the line for the same issue. That's not all. The report also states that of the airbags that have been replaced already in the Takata recall campaign, 2.1 million will need to eventually be replaced again. They don't have the drying agent that prevents the degradation of the ammonium nitrate, which can lead to explosions that can destroy the airbag housing and propel metal fragments at occupants. So these airbags are out there already. We're not done yet. There's also a stockpile of about 580,000 airbags waiting to be installed in cars coming in to have their defective airbags replaced. These 580k airbags also don't have the drying agent. They'll need to be replaced down the road, too. A new vehicle with a defective Takata airbag should be safe to drive, but that margin of safety decreases with time. If all this has you spinning around in a frustrated, agitated mess, there's a silver lining that is better than it sounds. So take a breath, run your fingers through your hair, and read on. Our best evidence right now demonstrates that defective Takata airbags – those without the drying agent that prevents humidity from degrading the ammonium nitrate propellant – aren't dangerous yet. It takes a long period of time combined with high humidity for them to reach the point where they can rupture their housing and cause serious injury. It's a matter of years, not days. So a new vehicle with a defective Takata airbag should be safe to drive, but that margin of safety decreases with time – and six years seems to be about as early as the degradation happens in the worst possible scenario. All this is small comfort for the millions of people who just realized their brand-new car has a time bomb installed in the wheel or dashboard, or the owners who waited patiently to have their airbags replaced only to discover that the new airbag is probably defective in the same way (although newer and safer!) as the old one.

ACEEE strips away VW's green car scores

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) is confirming that the Volkswagen diesel-emissions scandal has put a black mark on its green ratings. As a result, the group is pulling VW diesel vehicles off of its "Green Scores" list because it was recently revealed that VW diesels might be emitting as much as 40 times the nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions during normal driving as the official test results show. The ACEEE added that other German makers of diesel vehicles' "Green Scores" are safe, for now. Diesels from VW and the company's Audi division didn't exacatly top the ACEEE's list of greenest vehicles for 2015. That honor went to electric vehicles like the Smart ForTwo ED, Chevrolet Spark EV and Fiat 500E. The Toyota Prius C hybrid snuck in at number 4, while the Nissan Leaf battery-electric took the fifth spot. That said, the VW diesels did perform pretty well, according to the group. "These scores are no longer reasonable estimations of the environmental impact of the Volkswagen diesels. Volkswagen's diesel cars have performed well on ACEEE's annual rankings since 2009, hovering just below our list of the top twelve "Greenest" vehicles with Green Scores in the high 40s," wrote Shruti Vaidyanathan, senior transportation researcher at the ACEEE. "However, a 40-fold increase in on-road NOx would mean that these vehicles did not deserve those high Green Scores." For those curious, the Ram 2500 pickup topped the ACEEE's "Meanest" vehicle of 2015, followed by the Chevrolet G2500 Express/GMC Savana. No diesels showed up on that list of environmentally-damaging vehicles. You can read the ACEEE's statement on VW below. Why we are suspending Volkswagen diesel Green Scores on greenercars.org by Shruti Vaidyanathan, Senior Transportation Researcher On September 18th, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) slapped the Volkswagen Group with a notice of violation (link is external) of the Clean Air Act for circumventing EPA emission standards for nitrogen oxides (NOx). Volkswagen has now acknowledged using so-called "defeat devices" on its diesel cars that turn on full emissions control technologies while in testing mode but allow the vehicles to emit nitrogen oxide levels up to 40 times the certified level during normal operation.

2022 Acura MDX and a trio of lovely sedans | Autoblog Podcast #662

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. This week, they talk about the cars they've been driving, including the 2021 Volkswagen Arteon, 2021 Kia K5 GT, 2022 Acura MDX and long-term 2021 Acura TLX. In this week's news, they talk about the possibility of a Nissan Xterra return and break down what's going on over at Lotus — the British sports car company is axing its current lineup and replacing the Elise, Exige and Evora with a new car called the Type 131. Autoblog Podcast #662 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown What we're driving:2021 Volkswagen Arteon 2021 Kia K5 GT 2022 Acura MDX 2021 Acura TLX A-Spec News Return of the Nissan Xterra nameplate? Lotus Type 131 replacing the entire Lotus lineup Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: