Car dealer takes a year to replace airbag(s) in car

I was at the grocery store today and met a lady who had parked next to me who had a 2008 Lexus 350. She had just gotten it back from the dealer because of an airbag recall. The dealer rented her a car for a year because that's how long it took to get the airbag(s) and replace them. That seemed long to me.

 

That seems a bit excessive. I've got a 2012 Is350 which is included in the recall. I don't live or work on the same side of town as the closest Lexus dealer so it's a bit of hassle. I've never needed to take it in for service at an actual Lexus dealer. Do they typically provide a loaner? I'm the 2nd owner of the car in case it matters.

 

She didn't say whether she was the first owner and the dealer paid for the rental. She was quite happy that her car wasn't driven for a year which meant no miles and that increased the value of the vehicle.

 

the wait is to identify the issue, then they have to correct the issue, then start manufacturing them...1 year is a bit long but stuff like this does happen...the company I work for, when we had the dealership, they had a lincoln aviator there for 6 months because they had to replace a brake line and they didnt have one anywhere in the country, ford for some reason stopped making them and 6 months later they started again

although yes she wont have 1 year of miles on the car, the car sitting unused is also not a good thing...tires dry rot and get flat spots, seals dry out ect...has its advantages and disadvantages

 

A friend if mine had a rental for this same reason for almost a year. He would have had it longer but complained that he wanted his own car to drive. I think the car manufacturer was one that manufactured airbags and was putting new stock in other cars (brands).

 

It's going to be years before all the airbags are replaced.
Takata Airbag Recall
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration says a total of 16,929,713 total airbags, both passenger- and driver-side, have been repaired, for a nearly 40% completion rate.

 

She's lucky. I am sure people are driving their cars with defective airbags until they can get their airbags replaced. And don't forget that that recall is still growing to other models.

 

I have a 2012 BMW X5 and we have been waiting about 18-24 months for airbag to be replaced. Last time I checked they said it should be around September to be fixed they were fixing older models first. No rental car provided she was lucky if they did that.

 

Takata just filed for bankruptcy last month, worldwide there are 100 million airbags to be replaced.

 

If I remember right, Takata did about 80% of the bags. Everybody else is small compared to them.