May 2016 Update: Takata and vehicle manufacturers have recalled over 60 million vehicles due to the risk of airbags rupturing and shooting shrapnel into vehicle occupants. Ten people have died.
Takata brand airbag inflators are used in vehicles manufactured by BMW, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Nissan and Toyota. After 6 complaints about these air bag inflators rupturing during a crash, these companies have issued recalls on over 1 million vehicles. Of the 6 filed Complaints, 3 involved personal personal injury, including blindness.
Details of 3 Injury Reports
Complaint 1 – Honda Vehicle
A driver crossed the center line, making a left turn in front of the Honda driver. The Honda driver struck the passenger side of the turning vehicle. Both driver and passenger side airbags in the Honda deployed, but the driver side airbag inflator ruptured and propelled a one-inch piece of shrapnel into the driver’s right eye. The Honda driver lost sight in the right eye and had severe lacerations to the nose that required 100 stitches.
Attorney Fred Pritzker represents people with eye injuries caused by accidents and product liability.
Complaint 2 – Toyota Vehicle
A Toyota Vehicle was hit. At impact, the passenger airbag exploded, breaking the front windshield and hitting the Toyota driver in the head.
Complaint 3 – Mazda Vehicle
While driving on a 4 lane road, the car two in front of the Mazda driver stopped dead for no reason. This caused a chain reaction crash. The driver just in front of the Mazda driver rear ended the car that had stopped, and the Mazda driver rear ended the car just in front of her. According to the Mazda driver, there was a loud explosion. She believes she temporarily lost consciousness. She next remembers sitting in her car, staring at the center of her steering console. She alleges the airbag was completely dislodged from the steering column. She found it between the driver’s door and the seat. It had not deployed, just exploded, and it caused cuts and burns to both of her arms and the left side of her face, according to the Complaint. She also alleges she now has hearing problems, with partial hearing, ringing and pain.
Recall Details
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.), Nissan North America, Inc., Mazda Motor Corp., Chrysler Group LLC and Toyota Motor Corporation have issued recalls of model year 2002-2006 models with air bag modules supplied by Takata Corporation. This involves 1,092,000 vehicles.
The recalls were issued for the following reason:
During the course of 6 air bag inflations/deployments in FL and PR, the frontal driver or passenger air bag inflator did not function properly and ruptured.
Investigation
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has opened an investigation to determine if there are additional crashes where air bags did exploded or did not deploy correctly that may be related to the Takata inflators. ODI is collecting all known facts from Takata and all of the vehicle manufacturers it believes may have manufactured vehicles with inflators produced during the same period as those that are associated with rupture events.
About Our Law Firm
Our law firm represents clients in personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits throughout the United States. We have won several multimillion-dollar settlements and verdicts. Attorneys Fred Pritzker and Eric Hageman were recently named “Attorneys of the Year” for winning a verdict in a difficult wrongful death case against a trucking company. The police report stated the driver of a semi-trailer truck was not at fault for running over a bicycle rider in the bike lane. Fred and Eric found evidence proving the truck driver was at fault and successfully argued their case before a jury.