New research shows more than 270,000 cars in Missouri and Illinois have potentially deadly Takata airbags: Is your car at risk?

Every day Ritchey is on the search for people who don’t even know they’re in danger. She drives for miles, hoping someone will answer. Now, it’s a race against time and the weather. The more time the inflator inside the airbag is exposed to humidity, the bigger the risk, according to Michael Brooks, spokesperson with the Center for Auto Safety.

Nearly 10 years after the government launched the largest recall in U.S. history, the struggle to get potentially deadly airbags off the road is still more challenging than ever.

On Nov. 18, 2014, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ordered Takata to initiate a nationwide airbag recall.

Still, every day in this country there are 6.4 million cars on the road with defective Takata airbags, according to data from research company Carfax. If there’s a crash, the inflator inside the airbag can explode like a grenade, sending sharp metal fragments flying. For nearly a decade, automakers have been working to remove them from cars.

Now in St. Charles, Missouri, there’s one less. For months, Leslie Wisecarver has gotten notices on her door, urging her to get her 2012 Dodge Charger fixed.

“I didn’t think much of it,” said Wisecarver, a car owner.

At first, she thought it was a scam. But a recent scare on the highway made her think twice.

“We actually had somebody break check us going down the highway 65 miles an hour… That really solidified why it was so important that I do this,” she said.

The I-Team timed the fix. It took 21 minutes.

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