An installed or loose airbag module is a job for a professional. Leave it alone and contact an authorized repair center, dealer, recall program, or qualified airbag-waste handler.
Do Not Remove or Deploy It
EPA says discarded undeployed inflators and modules are generally reactive, ignitable hazardous waste because they contain propellant. State programs may add different requirements.
Do not probe connectors, apply power, cut wires, open the module, or try to deploy it. Keep a loose module out of household trash and ordinary recycling.
“I have an airbag that is [installed or loose] and [deployed or undeployed]. The vehicle VIN is [VIN]. Can you check recalls and arrange safe handling?”
If It Is Still in the Vehicle
Use NHTSA’s VIN recall lookup or contact the manufacturer’s dealer. A recall repair, including an affected Takata inflator, should follow the manufacturer’s authorized remedy.
NHTSA says a deployed airbag must be replaced at an authorized repair center before you drive the vehicle again.
If the vehicle is going to a salvage yard, tell the yard that an undeployed or recalled airbag remains installed. Let the professional handler decide how to manage it.
If the Module Is Loose
Stop moving it. Contact the dealer or repair center that removed it, the vehicle manufacturer, or a waste handler that specifically accepts airbag modules.
Do not ship it casually. EPA’s handler exemption includes purpose-designed containers, labeling, designated destinations, records, and federal transportation rules.
Those business rules are not household packing instructions. The receiving professional should arrange collection or compliant transport.
Never reuse a recalled or questionable module. EPA says reuse of recalled Takata inflators or other defective modules is not legitimate reuse.