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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) advised vehicle owners on Saturday, January 31, 2015 that more than 2.2 million vehicles are being recalled for faulty airbags which may inflate unexpectedly while vehicles are running. This recall covers some of the Toyota, Chrysler and Honda vehicles manufactured in the early 2000's. A spokesperson for NHTSA said that one of the most concerning aspects of this new recall is that it is being made after repairs were made on the same vehicles in late 2014.  As a result, about 1 million Toyota and Honda vehicles involved in this new recall are still subject to the previous 2014 recall relating to defective Takata airbags.

When the 2014 recalls were made for the Takata air bags, there was a shortage of parts including the needed sensors which are triggered when a vehicle is in an accident. Sensors, made by a U.S. manufacturer, were not compatible with the Takata airbags.

Auto Week reports that Takata, the single largest manufacturer of airbags, controls about 22 percent of the global airbag market.

NHTSA reports that the Takata airbags, which fail to operate properly, were, for the most part, sold, or registered, in twelve high-humidity states and territories, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Saipan, Guam and American Samoa. The high humidity in these areas appears to have caused the airbag propellant to burn too fast and possibly blow apart the metal canisters. The fragments from these metal canisters are what have caused the injuries and deaths. Although it is not yet completely clear how many injuries and/or deaths occurred in 2014, it is already clear that Florida appears to have significantly more injuries and deaths than the other areas.

"As we reported in previous blogs including New Year Recalls, when a safety defect recall is issued, it is extremely important that the vehicle owner acts on it immediately. Go to Recalls.gov to find out whether your vehicle has been recalled," says Florida Unsafe Vehicles Lawyer, Randall Spivey of Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.

Vehicle manufacturing has become global in nature resulting in common parts being used by multiple vehicle makers across their multiple model lines. This has created new challenges requiring a major emphasis for parts manufacturers to improve quality and safety. NHTSA believes that the vehicle manufacturing industry is making good progress toward resolving these problems. They plan to, unrelentingly, keep up their enforcement policies with the assistance of the United States Justice Department. They also plan to use social media to pressure parts and vehicle manufacturers to self-report problems as soon as they become aware of them as such social media attention may push more improvement on a fast-track basis.

Attorney Spivey says, "Product Liability cases, like the cases arising out of the defective Takata airbags and the defective sensors, are complicated cases which need to be handled by an experienced attorney. I and my product defect team have that experience."

Southwest Florida Defective Products Attorney, Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Trial Attorney – the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by just one (1%) percent of Florida attorneys.  He has handled over 2,000 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida.  For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at 239.337.7483 or toll free at 1.888.477.4839,or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com.  Visit SpiveyLaw.com for more information.  You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County 239.793.7748.