Nissan issues ‘driving ban’ warning for 84,000 older models

Nissan shares lost almost 3% during the meeting on Wednesday following the warning.

“NHTSA urges all vehicle owners to immediately check to see if their vehicle has an open Takata airbag recall,” NHTSA said in a statement. “If you own one of these vehicles, do not drive it until repairs are completed and the defective airbag is replaced.”

Nissan and Infiniti are offering free towing and mobile repairs to affected owners, as well as loaner vehicles at select locations. Infiniti is a division of Nissan.

“Due to the age of vehicles equipped with defective Takata airbag inflators, there is an increased risk that the inflator could explode when the airbag deploys, ejecting sharp metal fragments that could cause serious injury or death,” a Nissan spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC.

According to NHTSA, 27 people were killed in the USA by the explosion of a defective Takata airbag. At least 400 other people are said to have been injured.

At least 67 million Takata airbag inflators have been recalled domestically and more than 100 million worldwide, making it one of the largest auto safety-related recalls in history.

In 2017, Takata filed for bankruptcy in Japan and the United States after agreeing to pay a billion dollars in fines for allegedly fraudulent conduct in the sale of its defective airbag inflators.