A recall of millions of vehicles was announced last month, affecting cars equipped with airbags that could explode under certain circumstances.
Honda, Mazda and Nissan recalled 2.9 million cars worldwide for the faulty safety devices, but they are in fine company: GM, BMW, Toyota, Chrysler and Ford have all announced similar recalls.
The defective airbags are manufactured by Tokyo-based Takata Corp., one of three major manufacturers of airbags.
The problem is not with the airbags themselves, but with the inflators in Takata’s product; the company says it knows of at least six instances in which the cylinder-shaped inflators exploded on deployment of the airbag, sending metal fragments flying. This issue has led to recalls of around 10 million vehicles over the last five years.
The current investigation, targeting southern U.S. states and territories with hot, humid weather, was prompted by six incidents in Florida and Puerto Rico. The exact number of vehicles recalled is unknown, but the recall seems to involve vehicles assembled in Washington and Mexico in the early and middle part of the last decade.
Takata manufactures other auto parts too, including steering wheels, seat belts and turn signals. The air bag problems are not the only ones Takata has recently encountered. Last year, the corporate giant admitted to concocting a seat belt price fixing scheme, agreeing to pay $71.3 million in antitrust fines.
When a design flaw contributes to an accident or personal injury, the manufacturer may be legally liable. Colson Hicks Eidson has litigated more than 100 cases involving defective car parts. When you contact our office online or by calling 305-476-7400, we immediately get to work determining who is responsible and why. You did not deserve to suffer, and we will move aggressively to protect your rights.
Did You Know: All new passenger cars were required to have driver and passenger airbags beginning with the 1998 model year.
Colson Hicks Eidson – Injury Attorneys
