If you have a car that has been recalled in the Takata defective airbag scandal, you need to get your vehicle repaired immediately, says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA.) This comes in the wake of another deadly crash that leaves two parents wondering why they hadn’t heard of the Takata recall before now.
Did The Takata Defect Strike Again?
In Fort Bend County—near Houston, Texas—a 17-year-old was driving her 2002 Honda Civic when the car in front of her slammed its brakes. The little Civic rear-ended the other vehicle, and the Honda’s airbags went off. The airbag deployment ruptured the inflator canister and shot a metal fragment through the girl’s neck. She did not survive the injury.
A sheriff’s deputy would later describe the accident as “moderate,” and under normal circumstances, this accident shouldn’t have caused any serious injuries. However, the circumstances of this accident were far from normal.
Did The Victim Know She Was Driving A Recalled Car?
This girl from Richmond, Texas was driving one of the many vehicles that had been recalled in the largest automotive recall to ever hit the United States. Her parents were unaware of the recall when they bought the car for their 17-year-old, and they claim to have received no notification of recall after purchasing the vehicle.
The Honda Corporation claims that it sent multiple recall notices to the various owners of the Civic, but repairs were never completed, and now a young teenager has paid the price. NHTSA is now asking all automakers to diversify their efforts for notifying people that they are driving a vehicle in need of repairs, but these efforts come just a little too late for one teenager in Texas.
Florida has all the conditions necessary to turn Takata airbag inflators into deadly grenades, so if you have a recalled vehicle, get it repaired as soon as possible. The scope of the Takata recall is still widening, and with a shortage of replacement parts expected, the sooner you act, the better.
A message from the car defect lawyers at Colson Hicks Eidson—Don’t let a defective auto part cause your family heartache.
