CONSUMER ALERTS - Massive Airbag Recall – Failure Associated with Serious Injury and Death

Over 17 million vehicles sold in the United States with airbags manufactured by the Japanese entity Takata have been recalled. The defective airbags have been placed in a wide range of manufacturers’ vehicles including BMW, Ford, GM, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru and Toyota. Reports have indicated that Takata may have been aware of the defect in its airbags as early as 2004.

As of Spring 2015, nearly 90% of the vehicles with defective airbags remain unrepaired. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has urged consumers with an affected vehicle to take action quickly to have their airbag replaced and to reduce the risk of serious injury or death. If you are uncertain whether your vehicle has a defective airbag, you can find out by entering your vehicle’s VIN in the “Search for Recalls” section of the U.S. government website www.safercar.gov.

In affected vehicles, the inflator and propellant devices in the airbag may deploy improperly in the event of a crash. As a result, crash vehicle occupants do not receive the protection from crash forces that they should and, even worse, may be subjected to a shrapnel-like discharge from the airbag. To date, there have been hundreds of injuries reported as a result of these defective airbags including several alleged deaths.

If you or a loved one has a vehicle with a recalled airbag and have been seriously injured by the failure of that airbag, give us a call today for more information.