NHTSA has launched a new investigation into 30 million vehicles

The US Department of Transportation, NHTSA, has launched a new investigation into 30 million vehicles equipped with potentially defective Takata airbags. The investigation affects nearly two dozen car manufacturers, including BMW, Porsche and Daimler, according to a government document viewed by the Reuters news agency. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began its engineering investigations on an estimated 30 million US vehicles from model years 2001 through 2019 on Friday. Automakers were notified of the investigation, which was not yet publicly announced, on the same day. It concerns the models of the car manufacturers Honda Motor Co, Ford Motor Co, Toyota Motor Corp, General Motors Co, Nissan Motor, Subaru, Tesla, Ferrari NV, Nissan Motor, Mazda, Daimler AG, BMW Chrysler (part of Stellantis NV) , Porsche Cars, Jaguar Land Rover (Tata Motors) and others. The automaker and the NHTSA have not yet responded to requests from Reuters about the investigation on Sunday. The reason for the investigation is a series of serious consequences of the accident following alleged malfunctions of the Takata airbags. At least 37 deaths and 450 injuries were reported to U.S. auto safety officials around the world, allegedly related to the defective parts. Of the deaths, there were 19 in the United States while others were reported from all over the world, including French Guiana, Nigeria, Brazil, Australia, and China. The authorities have been dealing with the allegedly defective airbags for months. US automakers are required to notify drivers of recalls with email notifications and rely on government vehicle registration systems for addresses. Since cars frequently change hands, second, third and even fourth owners are becoming increasingly difficult to find.