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At least seven people have died and 98 people have been injured by Takata airbag ruptures in the U.S., the NHTSA said. Victims suffered facial lacerations, broken facial bones and loss of eyesight. By NHTSA’s calculation, nearly 1 in 10 ruptures ended in death.

Because there are more defective inflators than replacement parts available, regulators are prioritizing remedies based on a number of risk factors, including the age of the inflator and its long-term exposure to humidity and heat, which increases the likelihood of a rupture.

“To speak plainly, the nearly 23 million replacement inflators needed simply won’t be available within the next month, or even the next six months,” acknowledged NHTSA Office of Defects Investigations Director Frank Borris.

Some drivers will have to begin with an interim fix –- a newer version of the same defective inflator -– and follow-up with a permanent fix when parts become available. Three companies, Autoliv, Diacel and TRW, are ramping up inflator production to bolster Takata’s limited supply of replacements.

NHTSA is encouraging all consumers –- especially the 6 million drivers living in high-risk, high humidity areas along the Gulf Coast and in Florida and Puerto Rico, where the majority of the ruptures occurred -– to take recalls seriously.

“Don’t let this fall through the cracks,” NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind said today, warning consumers not to buy airbags online.

In the high-risk region, nearly 30 percent of defective airbags have been remedied; the repair rate nationwide is around 23 percent.

To see if your vehicle is impacted, visit safercar.gov.

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