The Takata airbag issue has spread further with Jaguar and Land Rover issuing recall for the Jaguar XF sedan and the top of the line Range Rover SUVs in America. The first lot of recalls include states where the climate is hot and humid in which the airbags degrade faster.
The issue affects about 1.08 lakh cars in the US and the first lot of 54,000 cars is being recalled right away. The second lot will be issued later as and when the required spares are procured. Heat and humidity affect the Takata airbags which may result in release of metal shrapnel when these airbags get deployed. Jaguar XFs manufactured between 2009 and 2011 and Range Rovers built between 2007 and 2011 have been affected.
In India, where the climate is hot more often than not, manufacturers like Honda have recalled cars running into lakhs. The XF and the Range Rover were imported as CBUs in India back then which means some of the cars here might also be affected. We are yet to get a word from JLR India, a recall might be issued here as well.