You can contact our law firm if you or a loved one was injured or killed by a defective Takata airbag. The company issued a recall of over 60 million vehicles with airbags that may have a defect, causing them to explode and shoot shrapnel into the driver and passengers. Ten people have died and others have been seriously injured. Below is a video regarding the 10th tragic death.
If you want to find out if your vehicle has been recalled, go to this U.S. Department of Transportation page.
Takata issued a national recall of certain types of frontal driver and passenger side air bag inflator products (PSDI, PSDI-4, PSDI-4K, SPI, PSPI and PSPI-L) used in vehicles manufactured by the following:
- BMW
- Chrysler
- Daimler Trucks
- Ford
- General Motors,
- Honda
- Mazda
- Mitsubishi
- Nissan
- Subaru
- Toyota.
The recalled inflators were made with a propellant that can degrade over time, which has resulted in ruptures that have killed at least 6 people. These tragic, wrongful deaths were preventable.
This is an expansion of an earlier recall of far fewer vehicles.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is considering exercising its authority to implement an accelerated remedy program to replace these air bag inflators pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 30120(C)(3), according to its notice in the Federal Register:
The number of impacted vehicles and manufacturers in combination with the supply issues related to these air bag recalls adds a previously unprecedented level of complexity to this recall and remedy process. Given the number of manufacturers (11) and the technical complexity of the issues involved, NHTSA intends to open a Section 30120(c)(3) proceeding, and has therefore issued this Notice of Intent to inform the public.
Under federal law, manufacturers are required to remedy safety-related defects in motor vehicles (49 U.S.C. 30120(a)). The Department of Transportation can require a manufacturer to accelerate the remedy program if:
- A manufacturer’s remedy program is not likely to be completed within a reasonable time;
- There is a risk of serious injury or death if it is not accelerated; and
- Acceleration of the remedy program can be reasonably achieved by expanding the sources of replacement parts, expanding the number of authorized repair facilities, or both.
With this recall, NHTSA believes Takata and the car manufacturers cannot fix 34 million defective airbags in a reasonable time under the current plan, in which each manufacturer has its own remedy program of repair:
These remedy programs are individual to each of the Manufacturers, creating a patch-work solution that NHTSA believes may not adequately address the safety risks presented by the defective Takata inflators within a reasonable time. Regardless of root cause, these recalls involve the same safety risk: The risk of the air bag inflator rupturing when the air bag is inflated, which may result in serious injury or death to vehicle occupants without any prior warning.
NHTSA is taking this action because this recall is vast and complex:
- About 34 million vehicles needing repairs to prevent serious harm;
- A strained supply of replacement parts;
- Eleven manufacturers; and
- Technical complexities.
You Can Take Action Now
NHTSA is considering taking action, but you can take action now. Our lawyers can help you sue Takata and an auto maker for compensation, thereby holding the companies accountable for the harm they caused.
Our lead lawyers for these cases are Fred Pritzker and Eric Hageman. You can click here now for a free consultation regarding an airbag lawsuit. We are not paid unless we win your case.
You may be wondering if you should join a class action suit. This is something you should discuss with one of our lawyers. In a case involving serious personal injury or wrongful death, a class action may not be appropriate.