Several automakers — such as Ford Motor Co, Toyota Motor Corp. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles — collaborated to launch an online tool that identifies recalled Takata airbag modules and inflators.
The free site, launched on Monday, also provides information regarding free pickup and disposal options.
The industry’s new tool has parts information for 19 auto brands. Aftermarket industry workers can search parts by “whatever information is known,” such as the serial number or supplier part number.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, the auto lobbying group representing most major automakers, said it supports the tool as a customer safety measure. The long-term plan for the tool is expansion to cover additional nonsaleable parts, an group spokesperson said.
FCA also said it “strongly supports” the tool, adding that “parts recyclers are in a unique position to help protect” customers.
“In addition to replacing defective airbags, a key objective of this campaign is the identification and removal of these parts from the resale pipeline,” Mark Chernoby, FCA’s chief technical compliance officer, said in a statement.
The multiyear Takata recall — the largest and most expensive recall in the history of the global auto industry — has dragged on after at least 25 deaths and 300 injuries have been linked to the now-defunct Japanese supplier’s malfunctioning airbag inflators.
About 64 million Takata airbags have been recalled, according to NHSTA. The organization recommends that vehicles with the airbags “be repaired immediately.”