On behalf of Smiley & Smiley, LLP posted in Defective Products on Friday, May 22, 2015.
We recently wrote about the hazards of imperfect airbag timing. We observed that because the activation of an airbag is essentially a controlled explosion, an airbag’s activation timing must be precise. If an airbag is deployed too quickly, too slowly or is activated at a time other than the exact moment of a collision’s impact, motorists and their passengers can suffer grave injuries as a result of this imperfect timing.
Unfortunately, a defective airbag recall was recently widened to become the largest recall of automotive parts in American history. This turn of events is particularly disturbing because the manufacturer of the defective airbags had been denying that its products were defective for more than a decade, according to The New York Times. At present, approximately one out of every seven vehicles currently operating on U.S. roads contains a defective airbag.
When the defective bags deploy, they can explode violently and expel shrapnel into the passenger compartment of the affected vehicle. Currently, six deaths and over 100 injuries have been linked to the defective airbags. However, it is very likely that more injuries and deaths will be tied to these defects once the public learns about the recall. Oftentimes, accident victims will not know to look for certain signs of defects until the news that others have been affected in certain ways reaches the wider public.
If you have questions about the Takata recall or what it may mean for your accident case, please do not hesitate to contact an experienced attorney.
Source: The New York Times, “Airbag Recall Widens to 34 Million Cars as Takata Admits Defects,” Danielle Ivory and Hiroko Tabuchi, May 19, 2015
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