16/12/2025
Brayan Garcia, 22, died at the scene of an early morning crash. Despite hitting a pickup truck head-on, his Toyota Corolla’s air bags never went off.
Toyota had recalled Garcia’s car in 2020 over a dangerous defect that could stop its air bags from deploying. But Garcia’s vehicle hadn’t gotten the fix, like millions of others currently on the road.
From 2015 to 2024, about 12 million vehicles were recalled for safety defects that could result in air bags not deploying. These recalls—37 in total—included models made by General Motors and Ford as well as luxury brands such as Mercedes-Benz and Audi.
About 2.6 million, or around 22%, of affected vehicles remain unfixed, according to an analysis of the latest National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data by The Wall Street Journal.
The NHTSA data reveal a broader problem: Roughly one in three cars recalled for all reasons goes unfixed. The rate is roughly the same even for serious flaws such as failing brakes, engine fires or the air bag defects reviewed by WSJ.
Read more: https://on.wsj.com/4rI3g3Z
