500,000 people have not replaced their deadly Takata airbags...this is your final warning, PLUS we dip into the guru mailbag
My Car Guru Podcast
500,000 people have not replaced their deadly Takata airbags...this is your final warning, PLUS we dip into the guru mailbagMy Car Guru Podcast · Jul 14, 2026
Takata made airbags that were later found to be unsafe. This recall is about fixing cars where the airbag can break apart when it deploys, which can seriously injure or kill people.
A replacement airbag is the new airbag module installed when a recall requires the original unit to be swapped out. In this case, the host notes some owners had to return again because the replacement airbag had an issue.
This is a version of the Ford Explorer. The host says their wife’s Explorer Sport Track had a Takata airbag, and once they confirmed it with the VIN, they stopped letting her drive it.
Recalled airbags are airbag systems that the manufacturer has identified as needing a safety fix. For Takata, the recall is tied to inflator failure that can cause dangerous rupture and fragment projection.
This is a 1962 Chevrolet Corvair pickup. It’s special because it uses a flat engine mounted in the back, and the “Rampside” version has a ramp-style cargo area that makes loading easier.
The rear hatch is the back door of the car that swings open to get to the trunk/cargo space. If something is damaged there, it often affects the badges and how the repair looks.
A Nissan Rogue is a popular Nissan SUV. In this part of the episode, they’re dealing with cosmetic damage or mismatched parts on the back of the car and having a body shop replace the badges/emblems.
Tape lines are the noticeable edges you can sometimes see where painters used tape to mask off areas. The host is saying they don’t want those visible edges on the finished repair.
A body shop is where you take a car when the outside is damaged. They can repaint it and make repairs look right, including things like badges and emblems.
Checking your oil means making sure the engine has enough oil. If the oil level is too low, the engine isn’t lubricated properly and can wear out faster.
It’s a way to measure whether your engine is using too much oil. They fill it to the correct level, drive a certain distance, then check how much oil is missing.
Term
oil was still at the full mark
The “full mark” is the correct oil level on the dipstick. If the level drops below it, the engine may be using oil faster than it should.
Alignment is how the wheels are set so the car tracks straight. If your steering wheel isn’t centered, it can mean the wheels aren’t pointed correctly.
This means the steering wheel isn’t centered/level. Even if the car goes forward, a crooked wheel usually indicates the alignment or steering setup wasn’t adjusted to match the wheel’s true center.
Bushings are small rubber parts in the suspension that help everything move smoothly. If they wear out, the car can feel loose or sloppy because the suspension parts aren’t held as tightly as they should be.
Loose steering means the steering wheel can move a bit before the car actually changes direction. That makes the car harder to control and can be a sign that parts in the steering or suspension are worn.
Your owner’s manual is the book (or app) from the car maker. It tells you the correct settings for your specific car—like the right tire pressure to use when the tires are cold.
The “door jamb” is the part of the car frame you see when the door is open. Car makers often put a sticker there with the correct tire pressure for your car.
“Cold” tire pressure means you check the tires before you drive much, when they’re not hot. Hot tires can read higher than they really are, so “cold” is the best way to get the correct number.
The body control module is a computer in the car that runs a lot of the electrical features. If it doesn’t fully go to sleep, it can keep using battery power even when the car is parked.
A “draw” refers to parasitic battery drain—small ongoing electrical consumption when the car is off. Even though it’s not large, repeated drain over time can weaken the battery enough that it won’t start the car.
That battery warning light means your car thinks the electrical system isn’t working right. It usually shows up when the battery isn’t getting enough charge, so the car may eventually not start.
Concept
systems don't work like they're supposed to
Cars today have computers that need enough electrical power to run. If the battery voltage is too low, the car may disable important systems and you can end up stuck.
Most cars use a 12-volt battery to run the electrical stuff and help start the engine. As cars add more electronics, some manufacturers are moving to higher voltage systems.
A 48-volt system is like upgrading the car’s electrical “power level.” It can handle more power for modern features and can make the wiring more efficient.
Cars run on electricity, and most use a 12-volt system. If a car has a lot more electronics than older designs, that 12-volt system can struggle to supply enough power reliably.
Brake rotors are the metal discs your brake pads squeeze to stop the car. If they’re warped or worn down too much, the brakes may not work as well and the pads can wear out faster.
Brake pads are the parts that press against the brake rotor to slow the car. When they wear down too far, they can start grinding in a way that can hurt the rotor.
A warped rotor is a brake disc that’s bent or uneven. That can make the brakes feel shaky or uneven when you stop, and it can wear the pads out faster.
Brake pads have metal attachment points. If the pad material wears away so far that those metal parts start touching the rotor, it can damage the rotor and make braking worse.
A brake job is when a mechanic works on your brakes—usually checking and often replacing brake pads and inspecting the brake rotors. It’s the kind of service you do when braking feel changes or parts wear out.
When someone says the rotor is “turned,” they mean it’s machined (cut) to smooth out the worn surface. But if it’s done too many times, the rotor can become too thin and start warping.
A lathe is a machine that spins metal while a tool cuts it to make the surface smooth and even. In brakes, it’s used to resurface the rotor so the pads can contact it properly.
OEM rotors are the same type of brake discs the car’s manufacturer designed for your vehicle. The idea is that they match the original specs better than low-cost aftermarket parts.
Brake pads are the parts that press against the rotors to slow the car down. When they wear out, they need to be replaced so braking stays strong and safe.
These are little parts that start making noise when your brake pads get too thin. The sound is a warning so you don’t keep driving with brakes that are worn out.
A multi-point inspection is a structured checklist where a shop checks multiple wear items and systems during a visit. It’s often performed alongside routine service (like an oil change) to catch brake wear, tire issues, and other problems early.
LIVE
Hey folks, Lenny Lawson, the car guru.
And in today's episode, we're going to dive into the mail bag.
These are actual questions that I get.
And I just keep them.
I got a little file here that I keep the most, well, basically all the questions that I get
from people here at my new car dealership from people who text me from the radio show
and the podcast and from emails that I get.
Hey, Lenny, what I'll do about this, you know, that kind of stuff.
Before I get into that, this is a reminder.
Remember the Takata airbag situation, the recall?
You may not remember it, but I certainly do.
We replaced hundreds and hundreds of airbags.
My parts department was full of replacement airbags and we had to get these people in.
Some of these people have had to come back more than once to change the replacement airbag
out because there was something wrong with it.
Folks, you need to get your VIN number and call the, that's your 17 digit VIN number
at the base of your windshield or in the door jam of your vehicle, 17 digits, take a picture
of it or just write it down.
Call the dealership that sells the vehicle that you own and ask to speak to a service
advisor or the service manager and ask them if there are any open recalls on your vehicle.
This Takata airbag recall is very important because it can be deadly.
So what happens, there's this container that the airbag is surrounded with and it basically
is supposed to open up but stay together when the airbag explodes and it literally explodes
into your face.
Well, what was happened with the Takata airbags is that the metal casing that is supposed
to open up was actually fragmenting and sending shards of metal into the carotid arteries.
On the neck of certain people that were driving it and it was killing them.
You know, if you slice open your carotid or your jugular or anything around your neck,
you're not going to last very long.
That's pretty serious, wouldn't you say?
And if you have an older car, I mean, it doesn't matter, it could be 15 years old and you're
still driving it.
It could have a Takata airbag in it.
It will be replaced at no charge to you.
There are still half a million people driving around with Takata airbags in there that have
not been replaced.
And this is something that you need to be concerned about.
If you're driving a vehicle that's two or three years old, maybe five years old, you
don't really have to worry about it.
But if anything older than that, I'm calling.
If I own that vehicle, I'm checking it out.
My wife was driving a, what was that?
It was a, what did they call those things?
It was a Ford Explorer Sport Track.
That's what it was.
It had a Takata airbag in it.
I didn't know that though.
I got the VIN, handed it to my service advisor.
Within seconds, he said, yep, this is one of the recalled airbags.
And so I didn't let her drive it anymore.
I parked it until the airbag.
Well, matter of fact, we had the airbag in stock, so they were able to replace it.
And then I sold the truck because it was just too old.
She really liked it.
She was not happy, but I put her in something else.
We always have to have a truck at our house.
So sometimes usually that works except when I'm driving it and she needs it.
That's why I have the 1962 Corvair Rampside truck for her to use at the house.
And she loves it.
Okay, so let's hit the mailbag.
So I had this lady, well, this really wasn't in the mailbag.
It was a situation that happened at the dealership, but this may happen to you.
They buy a vehicle.
Everybody's happy.
They've been here for a couple hours, three hours, whatever.
They finally get out.
They go home a couple of days later.
They find a scratch on the, uh, on the, this case was on the rear hatch.
And it was a pretty good scratch.
I don't know who did it.
The salesperson said, well, that wasn't on it when I sold it to her, you know,
and she said, well, that wasn't, that was on it.
When you sold it to me, we just now found it.
What do you do?
Well, if you're the customer, look at the vehicle really good before you leave.
I know you're in a hurry to get home, but do a nice walk around, check the paint
everywhere, look for scratches, dance, dings, look down the sides, just inspect the
vehicle, especially on the exterior, any kind of paint, wheel damage.
You really want to catch that before the fact because, you know, how's the dealer
supposed to know that, that that didn't happen in your, in your garage when you
got it home.
And, you know, he's had multiple people put their hands on this vehicle.
They've a technician inspected the vehicle when he was doing the pre-delivery.
The guys in the detail shop were washing the vehicle.
Typically they will point out a scratch or a dent or something like that because we
don't want to sell a vehicle like that, but this was, this was that situation.
So find it before you leave.
But if you discovered it at home, then, I mean, if you did it yourself, shame on you,
don't call the dealership.
But if you, if you didn't, and you're sure that it was, was there when you
picked up the vehicle and it didn't happen in your possession, then call them
as quickly as possible, get down there, take pictures of it, send it to them
quickly and then go down there and just have a discussion.
Say, you know, what can we do about this?
We did not do it.
We just discovered it.
I can't speak for any other dealer.
My policy is to fix it.
I just assumed that the customer is right.
And so we're painting the rear hatch and I hate to have to do it.
It's not cheap because we had to order new emblems for the rear hatch because we
can't take the, you know, like the name brand of the vehicle and, you know, the
model and stuff.
This was a Nissan Rogue.
We, we have to replace all those with new pieces.
And I tell the, the, the body shop that does, I said, no tape lines.
I don't want any tape lines on this thing.
It's got to be perfect.
And so, you know, that's about $1,200 to get that done, that I had to eat.
But, and that's not going to happen every time.
And if they refuse to do it, say, you know, I guess you, that, that kind of
tells you whether you should have bought a car from them or not.
And then what are you going to do about it?
Do you want to scratch on your vehicle?
You're going to have to go to a body shop, get somebody or just get some
touch up paint and touch it up and just live and learn.
That's about all you can do.
Okay.
I'm going to take my first break.
I'll be back here in just a minute.
Okay.
I am back.
If you bought a new car and you drove it a thousand miles and you were
checking your oil, you know that it was full because when you got it home, you
just wanted to make sure to protect your engine and you were on level ground and
you pulled the dipstick and, and it's at the full mark, you drive it a thousand
miles and it's down a quarter of oil.
Are you going to be upset?
I would be.
And so is that acceptable to the manufacturer?
If you go into a dealership and you asked them, many dealerships, if you
ask them what is normal oil usage, they're going to say anywhere from a
thousand miles to 3000 miles to use a quarter of oil.
Now, let me give you an idea of some of the brands and what they accept.
Ford says that up to one court per 3000 miles is considered normal under many
conditions.
Of course, a lot of it has to do with how you drive the vehicle.
General Motors says that one court per 2000 miles may be considered acceptable,
depending on the engine and the usage.
Nissan, one court in 3000 to 5000 miles.
Toyota, this is alarming.
One court per 1200 miles has been cited in a lot of service literature for
certain engines as being normal at Toyota.
That would make me not want to buy a Toyota Honda, one court per 1000 miles.
Another one.
I mean, these are like high quality brands.
Well, if my car used a quarter of oil on a 1000 miles, what would I do?
Well, number one, I'd file a complaint with a manufacturer.
I'd go on their hotline and I'd say this is not acceptable.
Regardless of what they said.
And then I would probably be contacted by the dealership once the complaint
hit them and then we would go in and we'd do an oil consumption test.
We, we changed the oil, make sure it's at the full mark, drive it for 1000
miles, come back and then they would check to see how much it used.
Quite frankly, if you're at a Honda store and it uses a court in that 1000
miles, they're going to say normal.
If you're at a Ford store, they're going to say that's abnormal and we need
to do something.
We need to go into this engine and see what's going on.
Uh, let's see, Subaru, one court per 1000 to 1200 miles, BMW, one court per 750
to 1000 miles, Mercedes, one court per 1000 miles, Volkswagen, one court for 1200
miles.
So, you know, in the real world, most healthy engines use far less oil than
what they used to, um, you know, a vehicle.
I mean, I've driven vehicles 5000 miles and they've, it's never
budged off the full mark.
If I take my vehicle in to get the oil changed, I'm going to ask them to
please tell me if the, uh, if the oil was still at the full mark or how much
it had used because I'm going to check my oil once a month.
Anyway, do you do that?
You should.
Okay, let's move on with some other questions.
Okay, this was kind of an interesting one.
So this lady said that her steering wheel is way off center.
Does that mean that her alignment is off?
And so we talked about it.
I actually called this lady and we talked about it.
She said, well, I don't think it's always been off.
I said, well, the last time you had like your tires rotated or a front
alignment, did they get your steering wheel straight?
Because that's part of an alignment.
They have to put this little brace under the steering wheel to hold it level.
While you're getting an alignment, if they don't, the steering wheel will
turn to a certain degree, depending on how much they have to, uh, to adjust
the alignment and it will cause your steering wheel to be offline.
She said, I just, I don't remember.
I said, well, one of the things you can do to get it straightened up is to
take it to the dealership, tell them that your steering wheel is crooked.
You know, that just drives me nuts.
I can't drive a car that the steering wheel is not level.
Yeah, you know, maybe a couple of millimeters or maybe a centimeter.
If it's leaning one way or the other, I can live with that for a while, but I
want it straight.
My 60, let's see, well, yeah, my 65 Corvair was way off.
I mean, it was the steering wheel supposed to be level and it was like
pointing, it was perpendicular.
So we, we don't have the equipment at Gateway forward to do an alignment on
a vehicle with 14 inch tires or wheels.
And so I had to take it to an old school alignment place.
And they straightened it up.
Not only was my vehicle out of alignment, but it had some worn out
bushings in the suspension.
And I'm glad we caught that.
And plus my steering had gotten loose.
Do you have a lot of play in your steering?
Like when you move the wheel left or right, does it not affect the
direction of the car?
That's a problem, folks.
You need to take care of that.
Well, it just makes the car not handle right.
It's not as precise as it was.
And it could indicate some of the suspension components are worn.
So I told the lady to go get another alignment, make sure the steering
wheel straight or request that the steering wheel be straight.
If they didn't get it straight the last time and you have a, have a repair
order and you had the alignment done 68 months ago, then they
should straighten the steering wheel for free and they can do that.
They have to put it back on the alignment rack and they have to make some
adjustments to get the steering wheel straight.
That's on them.
That's a comeback.
But you should notice that when you have a front end alignment and just
immediately turn around and say, Hey, my steering wheel is crooked.
Okay.
All right.
So I get this pretty often how, how much pressure should I put in my tires?
And I always say, well, folks, you don't go by what it says on the side of the
tire, you go by what it says in the door jam or in your owner's manual.
Example, my 65 Corvair.
I know this is an old example, but it applies to the, to the question at hand.
The tire pressure, recommended pressure cold on the tires is 32 pounds in the
owner's manual of the Corvair.
You put 15 pounds in the front, 25 pounds in the rear.
Your car won't be that dramatically low, but there may be a difference between
front and rear, but you know, the important thing is not to go by what it
says on the tires.
So I get this one a lot.
How long can you expect a car battery to last Mr. Lawson?
Well, that just depends on a lot of different factors.
Three to five years for most cars.
What kills the battery is not really usage as much as heat in, you know, short
trips, uh, there are some situations where, you know, you have a drain on your
battery, something is still active on your vehicle.
One of the worst things you can do folks in the modern cars, leave your keys in
the car.
I know you park it in your garage or you live out in the country and sometimes
you leave your keys in your car.
But what that does is that keeps the body control module in your vehicle active.
And it creates a draw.
And if you do that enough, it'll over time, it'll weaken your battery.
So don't leave your keys in there.
Most cars have a battery warning light when the voltage and the amperage falls
too low.
And so, you know, you, you should have your battery tested like every oil change.
Just when you get an oil change, say, can we test my battery for me to make
sure, see how much, how many cold cranking amps it still has?
Cause everybody battery comes new with so many cold cranking amps.
It might be 300 or 600, whatever.
The important thing is that, that it doesn't fall below 80% of that because it
gets a really cold night.
You're out there in a parking lot after that Steely Dan concert and your car
won't start started fine when you left, but it won't start now.
And that's what happens.
They'll sneak up on you, especially on these modern cars.
And what happens on modern vehicles is that if the, if the voltage falls just
a little bit, then the systems don't work like they're supposed to on the car.
And you're going to get stranded.
Not that the battery is, is so weak that it wouldn't start the car.
It's just that the other systems won't fire up and they're saying, no, we
refuse to start.
There's no enough voltage.
So we're replacing a lot of batteries on vehicles that aren't that old.
And, you know, someday they're going to get away from these 12 volt batteries and
they're going to go to 48 volt systems because they, they require the cars
were needed.
They have too many electronic systems on them and 12 volts just doesn't cut it
anymore.
Okay.
Let's talk brakes for just a second.
I get this a lot.
The mechanic is insisting that I replace my brake rotors.
What's a rotor?
And why do I have to replace it?
It's very expensive.
I said, well, the reason the mechanic would say that your rotors need to be
replaced is because they are so badly warped or they're just too thin and won't
last if they put new brake pads on.
Now, you know, the braking system basically at the wheel is made up of a
caliper, which the brake pads are mounted inside the caliper and the caliper has
these little pistons in it that when you push your brake pedal down, it squeezes
those pads.
What does it squeeze them on to?
It squeezes them on to a spinning rotor.
It's just, it looks like a flat metal dish.
And basically that's what stops the car when that caliper, which is stationary
squeezes that rotating rotor.
That's what slows your car down.
Well, if you use cheap brake pads or if the brake pads get so worn that they
wear down to the rivets that hold them onto this little backing plate on the
pad, then those rivets dig into that rotor.
So you've got metal on metal and that makes grooves into the rotor.
Well, when you get a brake job and a mechanic pulls off that caliper, pulls
the pads out, looks at that rotor and it's got all these grooves in it.
He's going to go to the service advisor and say, these rotors need to be turned.
They turn them on a lathe and it makes them nice and smooth.
And you'll be happy with the brake performance after they do that.
However, if those rotors have been turned more than once, sometimes they get too
thin and they just won't last.
They'll just instantly warp and you'll be very unhappy.
And so that's what happens.
That's why you need to replace the rotors.
And that could cost anywhere from $150 per side to, I mean, if you're talking
about an expensive car, it could be $750 per side.
It's just a big hunk of metal, but some of them are made better than others.
And some of them are bigger than others.
So if somebody tells you you need to replace your rotors, ask them, why are
they too thin and what are they going to replace them with?
Tell them you want OEM rotors, original equipment, manufactured rotors, not
something from advanced auto parts that was made in China.
The quality of the metal matters.
And don't use aftermarket brake pads.
Get OEM brake pads.
You'll be a whole lot happier because they won't squeal and they'll last longer.
Okay, I'm going to take my last break.
I'll be back here in just a minute.
We don't take shortcuts on safety items like brakes.
I want to be able to stop.
Every time I stop, I don't want to feel a vibration in my front end.
And I don't want to sound like a log truck when I stop with a loud squealing noise.
Now, if you've got your original brakes on your vehicle, never had a break job,
never had the pads replaced, never had the rotors turned, then they should be
able to turn your rotors unless you have heard a squealing noise for a really
long time.
That's your brake warning sensors.
It's just a little tab of metal that when the brake pad gets worn to a certain
point, that little tab of metal will scrape against the rotor itself, making a
squealing noise.
Sometimes it'll do it even when you're not putting on the brakes.
That means your pads are really worn.
And if those rivets that are part of the brake pad, if they have been digging
into that rotor for a long time, it may be the first time you've ever turned
those rotors, but they can't be turned.
They might have to be replaced.
So just be on top of that.
Go to a service center, a new car dealership, a really high quality
aftermarket shop that checks your brakes every time you get your oil changed.
I mean, we do a multi-point inspection on every vehicle.
I don't care if they just bring it in to have a cabin air filter replaced.
We do a multi-point inspection because we want to.
I think our customers expect it from us.
I mean, they want us to be responsible for catching something.
You know, if something's wrong with your vehicle, they hold us accountable for that.
And they should.
But a lot of these quick-loop places, they don't do that.
They don't check your battery life.
They don't check your coolant, you know, to make sure that it's protecting
your vehicle the way it should.
They don't check the thickness of your brake pads.
They don't always do that.
Some of them do, but I want to go to a place that does it all the time, every time.
Well, that's it for this edition of My Car Guru.
Hopefully I answered a question that you may have had swirling around in your head.
If you have any other questions, keep sending them 423-552-2020.
That's my cell phone.
Email is Lenny Lawson 2020 at gmail.com.
And I'll see you on the next edition of My Car Guru.
About this episode
Half a million drivers are still rolling with unreplaced Takata airbags, and the host calls it deadly—then walks listeners through using the 17-digit VIN to check open recalls and what to do if you’ve already had replacements. After the safety warning, the guru mailbag pivots to practical ownership: inspect for damage before leaving the dealership, set cold tire pressure from the door jamb or owner’s manual, and understand oil consumption and battery/starting issues.
