Nearly 84,000 older Nissan models are being recalled due to faulty airbags, prompting the automaker to issue a "do not drive" alert.

• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed that Nissan issued a warning to owners of approximately 84,000 older vehicles to cease driving them.
• Certain 2002-2006 Nissan Sentra, 2002-2004 Nissan Pathfinder, and 2002-2003 Infiniti QX4 vehicles may have Takata airbags that were recalled in 2020.
• In the U.S., a defective Takata airbag has resulted in the deaths of 27 people and injuries to 400 individuals.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has advised owners of older vehicles with unrepaired Takata airbags to cease driving them, effective immediately.

The "Do Not Drive" alert from the Japanese carmaker applies to 83,920 certain model year 2002-2006 Nissan Sentra, 2002-2004 Nissan Pathfinder, and 2002-2003 Infiniti QX4 vehicles that may have Takata airbags that were recalled in 2020.

Nearly 3% of the stock dropped during Wednesday's session after a warning was issued.

"The NHTSA is urging all vehicle owners to promptly inspect their vehicles for an open Takata airbag recall. If a defective airbag is found, the NHTSA advises against driving the vehicle until the repair is completed and the airbag is replaced."

In select locations, affected owners of Nissan and Infiniti will receive free towing, mobile repair, and loaner cars.

The Takata airbag inflators in Nissan vehicles, which are now older, pose a higher risk of exploding during airbag deployment, potentially causing serious injury or death due to the sharp metal fragments that can be propelled.

At least 400 people have been injured and 27 people killed in the US due to a faulty Takata airbag that exploded.

Over 100 million Takata airbag inflators have been recalled globally, making it one of the largest auto safety recalls in history.

In 2017, Takata filed for bankruptcy in both Japan and the U.S. after agreeing to pay $1 billion in criminal penalties for its alleged fraudulent conduct in the sale of its faulty airbag inflators.