Takata Airbag Recalls and Deaths Mounting
Takata airbags have been recalled in approximately 25 million vehicles worldwide, and at least 12 deaths have been attributed publicly to the defective airbags. I say “publicly” because there have been confidential settlements, which may have been kept from the public.
What is the problem with Takata airbags?
The horrible consequences of a defective Takata airbag are illustrated by the facts of the case involving the 10th known Takata airbag death. The family of Joel Knight, 52, is suing Takata and Ford for the wrongful death of Mr. Knight. Mr. Knight was driving home from work in his Ford Ranger a few days before last Christmas when he struck a cow that had wandered into the road in Kershaw, South Carolina. The driver side airbag deployed, but it ruptured with great force. According to the Knight’s attorney, “when the propellant [in the airbag canister] exploded, a single piece of steel launched out of the canister like a bullet and entered [Mr. Knight’s] spine and severed his spinal cord.” The common mechanism of injury or death in these Takata airbag cases is metal shrapnel firing out from the ruptured airbag into the head, neck, or upper torso of the vehicle occupant.
What is the cause of the Takata airbag shrapnel phenomenon?
Takata Corp., a Japanese company, hired a German company, Faunhofer Institute, to investigate the root cause of the exploding airbag canisters. The final results of Faunhofer’s investigation are expected to be released in the coming weeks. However, Faunhofer released partial results last June, which showed that the Takata airbag explosions resulted from the following: (1) Takata is the only manufacturer to use ammonium nitrate as a propellant to inflate its airbags, and when ammonium nitrate comes into contact with moisture, it becomes very unstable; and (2) some airbag inflators were damaged or improperly installed.
The significance of the ammonium nitrate problem is that occupants of vehicles in humid areas of the world or in an area that is experiencing much short-term precipitation are at risk if they get into a front-end collision of having metal shrapnel shot into their bodies.
What vehicles are subject to the multiple Takata airbag recalls?
Recall notices will be mailed to vehicle owners, but this process is notoriously slow and imprecise. Consumers should search their own vehicle individually by going to safercar.gov and inserting the vehicle ID number (VIN) or year, make and model. There is a yellow box at the top right of this savercar.gov website, which says, “Search for Recalls by VIN.” Click that button and follow the directions. The safercar site currently has at the top of the page directly above the Search by VIN button a January 26 Takata Recall Update listing all affected vehicles. Note that Ford recently added the 2004-2006 Ford Ranger to the recall list in response to the death of Mr. Knight.
This list, which is published by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, was last updated on December 23, 2015, and it lists the following recalls:
NHTSA Recalls Spotlight – Takata Air Bag Recalls
| BMW: 2000 328i FCA (Chrysler): 2007-2008 Chrysler Aspen Daimler Trucks North America: 2008-2009 Sterling Bullet 4500 Daimler Vans USA LLC: 2007-2008 Dodge Sprinter 2500 Ford: 2004-2006 Ranger General Motors (GM): 2007-2008 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 Honda: 2001-2007 Accord Mazda: 2004-2006 B-Series Truck Mitsubishi: 2004-2006 Lancer Nissan: 2001-2003 Nissan Maxima Subaru: 2003-2005 Baja Toyota: 2003-2007 Corolla |
Related:
- Ford Recalls 2.9 Million Cars and SUVs with Defective Transmission
- Second Person Killed by ARC Air Bag Inflators, Prompting Recalls
- Fiat Chrysler Recalls: Another “Switchgate” and a Host of Other Problems
Michael Phelan is a Virginia trial attorney who practices with a special focus on traumatic brain injury (TBI) cases, pharmaceutical and medical device claims, product liability cases, and truck accidents. Michael’s peers have consistently recognized him for his excellence as a trial lawyer, and his clients have praised him for his commitment to deep research, his outstanding communication skills, and his sincerity and dedication.