Aug. 8, 2019—More than 200,000 Louisiana residents are driving recalled vehicles with defective air bags that could blast sharp metal fragments at drivers and passengers upon deployment.

As of July 2019, of the approximately 500,000 air bags on the road in Louisiana that were initially identified as containing these dangerously defective inflators, roughly 200,000, or about 36 percent, remain unrepaired in nearly 100,000 vehicles, even after dozens of outreach attempts by vehicle manufacturers.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the ongoing, urgent Takata air bag safety recall – the largest and most complex recall in U.S. history – affects tens of millions of vehicles from 19 vehicle manufacturers and more than 200 models and model years.

At least 16 Americans – including two from Louisiana – have been killed, and more than 300 individuals have suffered serious injuries allegedly caused by these defective air bags.