The Largest Automotive Recalls in History (So Far)

Image: Honda

I bet you find Takata a familiar name in automotive recalls. Before it was air bags, Takata was making another safety device in a seriously unsafe way: seat belt buckles. Owners complained to NHTSA about the buckles failing to latch, latching and then automatically (and unexpectedly) unlatching, and becoming unlatched during crashes. Ya know, right when you need that sucker to stay tight.

The giant auto supplier worked with 11 different automakers, including Chrysler, General Motors, Ford, Honda, Isuzu, Mazda, Nissan, Daihatsu, Mitsubishi and Subaru.

At first Takata blamed messy Americans for dumping soft drinks all over their cars and then using their french fry salt-coated fingers to try and re-latch the belts. NHTSA, however, disagreed. After a months-long investigation, the feds found the cause of the defect was the ABS plastic used in manufacturing the seat belt, which degraded and splintered when exposed to light. These flecks of plastic then jammed up the locking mechanism in the belt buckle, according to the Center for Auto Safety.