NHTSA Complaint #10925454 — 2008 MITSUBISHI RAIDER

TAKATA RECALL: RECEIVED SAFETY RECALL NOTICE DATED JULY 2016 RE: FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG INFLATOR, AND, AS INSTRUCTED, CONTACTED MITSUBISHI CUSTOMER RELATIONS DEPT. TO CONFIRM MY CONTACT INFORMATION AND TO FIND OUT WHEN REPLACEMENT PART WOULD BE AVAILABLE. IN SEPTEMBER, CALLED AGAIN AND MMNA HAD NO PROJECTION AS TO TIME FRAME FOR PARTS AVAILABILITY. SINCE I AM THE PRIMARY DRIVER, AND RARELY HAVE PASSENGERS, THE DELAYS WERE TOLERABLE. BUT SINCE MY WIFE AND I ARE PLANNING AN APPROX.,1,500 MILE TRIP TO FLORIDA THANKSGIVING WEEK, 11/19 TO 11/26, I ASKED IF THE AIR BAG IN QUESTION COULD BE DISABLED UNTIL PARTS ARE AVAILABLE, SO THAT, IF WE ENCOUNTERED AN ACCIDENT, THE FRONT PASSENGER WOULD NOT BE INJURED. AFTER THE CUSTOMER RELATIONS REPRESENTATIVE PUT ME ON AN ALMOST INTERMINABLE HOLD, THE REP. SAID NO AND SUGGESTED THAT I TALK TO A LOCAL MITSUBISHI DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT, WHO SAID THAT, BY NHTSA RULES, IT COULD NOT BE DISCONNECTED. TODAY, 11/10, I AGAIN SPOKE TO MMNA, AND, AGAIN, NO IDEA OF PARTS AVAILABILITY. AS I RELATED MY PREVIOUS CONVERSATIONS, THE REP SAID THAT THE RECALL NOTICE SAID THAT NO ONE SHOULD SIT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT UNTIL THE INFLATOR WAS REPLACED, I REPLIED THAT NO SUCH WARNING WAS INCLUDED IN THE RECALL NOTICE, AND, AFTER A LONG HOLD, HE CONFIRMED THAT IT WAS NOT INCLUDED. I ASKED FOR A WRITTEN CONFIRMATION, TO WHICH HE REFUSED.