We’ve told you before about the surprising prevalence of airbag injuries that result from people who are involved in auto accidents in the state of Illinois. In addition to various injuries that can occur when the airbags deploy correctly, drivers and passengers can get hurt if the airbag or any of its components are defective.
A prime example of this came to light in April of 2013. Nissan, Toyota, Honda, and Mazda announced that they were recalling a total of 3.4 million vehicles around the world because of faulty airbags. The airbags in question were produced by a Japanese company called Takata Corp. and sold to the Japanese automakers for installation in the vehicles. The problem is with a defect in the propellant which is used to inflate the airbags in an auto accident. As a result, vehicle occupants could be injured either by an incorrectly-deploying airbag or by a fire that starts because of the propellant problem.
Toyota will recall 1.75 million of its vehicles, including the popular Camry, the Yaris, the Corolla, and the Tundra; while Honda, which previously recalled about 2.5 million vehicles made between 2008 and 2011 for a similar problem with Takata airbags, says that it will recall another 1.14 million cars and trucks. Nissan’s recalled vehicles, which include the Cube and Maxima, total about 480,000; while Mazda must recall around 45,500 vehicles.
Although all of the recalled vehicles were made in the 21st century, there is a wide range of model years among the recalled vehicles, because the airbags themselves were made between 2000 and 2002 in a Mexican factory. Owners of the affected vehicles will receive a notice of recall in the mail, and the repair should take between one and three hours at an authorized dealer.
Though no injuries have been reported as a direct result of these faulty airbags yet, it doesn’t mean that Takata will emerge from this problem without its products hurting or killing drivers. Some of the possible airbag injuries may include burns, broken noses, fractured limbs, head trauma, or traumatic brain injury.
So if you drive or ride in one of these vehicles and are involved in an auto accident, try to determine whether the airbags deployed properly and whether they may have contributed to any injuries you might sustain. Then contact a qualified attorney to find out more information about filing a product liability lawsuit against Takata or one of the automakers.
