Latest Blogs

Although more than 20 million vehicles have been recalled because of the risk of violent airbag explosions, recalls of Takata airbags are not over. The original recalls affected mostly older vehicles, model years from 2008 and earlier.

The NHTSA (The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) reported that Takata is notifying the 12 affected automakers using its airbags, that more recent model vehicles using the Takata airbags are also at risk. Because of this, Honda, which has more defective airbags than any other vehicle manufacturer, announced an upcoming recall of 2.2 million newer Honda and Acura models.

On Tuesday, February 2, 2016, Fortune Magazine reported that Democratic U.S. senators Richard Blumenthal and Edward Markey urged NHTSA to recall all cars with Takata inflators. The senators estimated that 24 million such vehicles remained on U.S. roads.

Fortune further reported that:

Honda Motor is expanding its recall in North America of late-model vehicles equipped with potentially defective Takata airbags, adding 2.23 million vehicles.

The Japanese automaker said certain Acura and Honda vehicles from model years 2005-2016 are being recalled to replace Takata PSDI-5 driver-side inflators. It recalled another 269,000 similar models in Canada on Monday, February 1, 2016, for the same issue. Takata Corp. told U.S. safety regulators two weeks ago that about 3.9 million PSDI-5 inflators sold to several different vehicle manufacturers could rupture and kill, or cause serious injury to vehicle occupants. Honda’s latest recall is included in that count.

What causes the violent airbag explosions?

The exact cause of the airbag inflator ruptures is unknown, according to Fox8News in New Orleans. However, when they do explode, the explosion blows apart a metal canister in the airbag and sends shrapnel into the vehicle passenger compartment. There have been 11 deaths worldwide and 139 injured because of the exploding airbags.

There is question as to whether explosions happen when the airbags are exposed to high temperatures over a long period of time or by the propellant itself that Takata uses. It could also be a combination of these issues. There is an explosion which is built into the system that Takata uses; however, the explosion, according to Takata is supposed to be small. The company uses ammonium nitrate to create the small explosions in order to quickly inflate the airbags in a crash. Those who examine the airbags believe the chemical can may degrade over time when exposed to heat and humidity. This may cause it to explode with a force that is too great.

What is the scope of the recall?

News reports say that the Takata airbag recall is one of the largest consumer product recalls ever. Nearly one out of every seven cars on U.S. roadways today is affected.

What is being done to remedy the problem?

NHTSA admits that its remedy program for the Takata airbag recall is one of “the most complex in the agency’s history.” What makes this most difficult is the fact that there is a very low rate of completion of replacement airbags because of the shortage of replacement parts. When this issue is solved, then NHTSA says they will face the challenges of customer apathy, the interim remedy program for like-to-like replacements which contain the same defect as the original part, and the agency’s and vehicle manufacturers’ ability to reach the consumers.

Do vehicle owners have another avenue of recourse?

Typically, everyone in the chain of distribution can be held responsible for consumer injury or death under products liability law. This includes designers, manufacturers and sellers of the products that cause injury and death. The cause(s) of defects may start with design or the way the products were manufactured, or a failure to give sufficient warning about the danger of using the product(s).

“Go to Safercar.gov to determine whether your vehicle is being recalled because of unsafe airbags. If you or a loved one is injured by a recalled airbag, you may be entitled to recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and other damages,” said Southwest Florida Defective Products Attorney, Randall Spivey of Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.

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.