Your car's airbags could act like bombs

[firecat]

I only just found out about this recall of cars with potentially dangerous airbags. If you have a car made in 2000 or later, especially if you have a used car (because recall notices might not reach you) please check whether your model is affected. If it is, please take it in to have the airbags replaced ASAP.

The defective airbags can explode AT ANY TIME (not just during a collision) with much more force than they are supposed to, and hurl shrapnel at you. Because of their chemistry, the air bags become less stable over time.

List of models affected:
http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/news/takata-airbag-recall-list-cars-article-1.2602999

You can look up whether your car is affected using its VIN here: https://vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/vinLookup

Here's a long article that goes into the chemistry and the corporate hubris behind the whole thing. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2016-06-02/sixty-million-car-bombs-inside-takata-s-air-bag-crisis