Takata Corporation has expanded the scope of its airbag recall to 34 million automobiles. That is almost double the amount of vehicles in the original recall, and beats the 21 million cars recalled by Ford back in 1980. That makes the Takata recall the largest on record in the auto industry.
Five deaths are thought to be linked to the potentially malfunctioning airbags, along with many serious injuries, including eye injuries. When the airbags deploy in certain conditions, they sometimes explode and pepper drivers and front seat passengers with shrapnel.
Originally, Takata believed that the defect might only occur in regions with high humidity, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) disagreed with that evaluation. The NHTSA fined Takata $14,000 a day for not complying with the agency’s investigation. The fines added up to $1.2 million before the announcement on Tuesday, and the NHTSA has suspended further fines.
If I’m Hurt By an Airbag Defect, What can I Do?
Government fines do not replace lives, nor do they help families. Civil cases have been stacking up against Takata as victims and their families try to claim some restitution. Attorney Curtis Miner, a partner here at Colson Hicks Eidson, was appointed lead counsel in the multidistrict litigation against Takata. He is part of an experienced team of lawyers at our firm who have dealt with large complex cases against multinational corporations. Contact our offices if you know someone hurt by the products of the Takata Corporation.
Colson Hicks Eidson—Class Action Lawyers
Source: http://money.cnn.com/2015/05/19/news/companies/takata-recall/index.html