The controversy surrounding the safety of airbags made by the Takata company continues to make news. Regulators believe there could be almost 7.8 million of the devices which are defective, and are susceptible to exploding and expelling shrapnel which can injure the driver and passengers.
The difficulty lies in estimating the number of faulty airbags, and how many are installed in vehicles in the U.S. On October 2, Hien Tran was in an accident in Florida, when the airbag deployed and she was wounded by small pieces of material which pierced her neck. She died four days later. This was the third death associated with the product.
The devices are believed to be more unsafe in hot and humid weather. Most of the affected vehicles are older cars that may have been on the road since 2000. Some auto makers are saying that the cars aren't subject to a formal recall, but will be repaired in hot weather states. Currently, the US attorneys office in Manhattan is investigating whether the Takata company made misleading statements about the safety of the airbags. In June the company agreed to repair the faulty devices in states where there was weather was warm and humid, but some regulators are calling for a formal recall. The defective bags were manufactured over the time span from 2000 until 2008, and there have been six instances where they exploded.
Toyota has recalled over 200,000 vehicles to repair the airbags, and has warned people not to drive the cars until they repaired. During a year where driver safety has been compromised by faulty ignition switches, this is not welcome news!
If you have suffered an injury as a result of someone's negligence, you need to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney. Please call The Law Offices of Robert Paysinger, P.C. today at (303) 279-0221 for a free initial consultation. We help injured people - it's all we do!
Source: Takata’s Airbag Recall a Result of Converging Forces
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