More than 100,000 Bay Area vehicles still have recalled airbags

TAMPA, Fla. (FOX 13) - More than 100,000 vehicles in the Bay Area still have airbags that were part of a yearslong, national recall stemming from cases of airbags improperly exploding. 

The National Safety Council says anyone who has a recalled airbag needs to have it replaced right away. The recall covered tens of millions of vehicles. It was so widespread, May has been dubbed Airbag Recall Repair Month.

A crash can happen in just seconds, which is about the same amount of time it takes to check the status of your airbag. At www.nhtsa.gov/recalls, vehicle owners can enter their 17-digit VIN number and find out if their airbag has been recalled.

"One of the things we know about these defective airbags is that over time with heat and humidity, they can go from being life-saving devices to life-threatening devices," National Safety Council Vice-President of Communications Kelly Nantel said.

The National Safety Council estimates more than 1 million vehicles in Florida, including 100,000 vehicles in Tampa, have recalled airbags still in need of repairs.

"It's kind of shocking," driver Stacey Caylor said. "You would hope that you would find out from your car dealer if there was a recall or some issue."

Caylor used the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website and entered her car's 17-digit VIN number to find out her car is safe and up-to-date. It's a tool Kelly Nantel with the National Safety Council is urging everyone to use because it can save lives.

"Keeping your family members and those you love safe. That's what we are trying to do here and we're using recall awareness month to help spread the word about these deadly airbags," Nantel said.