More than 6.4 million vehicles in the U.S. are on the road with Takata airbags nearly 10 years since the devices were recalled due to a serious risk of injury and even death, according to data from Carfax.
More than 2.5 million, or roughly 40% of all these unfixed vehicles, are located in states that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) identifies as Zone A, according to Carfax data.
These states include Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas, all of which pose the greatest threat to safety given the high heat and humidity in the area, according to the Carfax report.
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"Extended exposure to heat and humidity can cause Takata airbag inflators to deploy far more explosively than expected" the report read. "That excessive force can launch pieces of metal surrounding the inflator into a vehicle’s cabin like shrapnel, posing a high risk to occupants."
Over the past decade, over 100 million Takata air bag inflators have been recalled around the world – including 7 million in the U.S. – in what is the biggest auto safety recall on record.
Since 2009, these incidents have been reported in vehicles sold by a variety of automakers due to Takata air bag inflators that can explode upon deployment, unleashing metal shrapnel inside cars and trucks.
To date, more than two dozen people in the U.S. have been killed by a defective Takata airbag that exploded, according to NHTSA. At least 400 people have reportedly been injured by such explosions.
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Carfax's report came on the heels of NHTSA warning owners of nearly 84,000 older Nissan vehicles that are still equipped with recalled, unrepaired Takata air bags to immediately stop driving them due to a safety hazard.
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The issues with the air bags have been blamed on a propellant that can break down after long-term exposure to high-temperature fluctuations and humidity.
NHTSA said that "even minor crashes can result in exploding Takata air bags that can kill or produce life-altering, gruesome injuries."
FOX Business' Eric Revell contributed to this report.
