If you own a car from model years 2002-2008 made by BMW, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Acura, Dodge, General Motors, Infiniti, Lexus, or Subaru, you may be driving with a defective airbag. Almost 17 million cars that used Japanese company Takata’s driver’s side and passenger’s side frontal air bags, have been recalled. As Takata supplies one-fifth of all motor vehicle air bags in the world, there may be millions of more cars on the roads that need to be recalled.
The problem with the air bags is that over time and due to high humidity, the chemical canister, which erupts and propels thereby inflating the air bag, has been deteriorating and exploding causing the air bag to inflate and shards of the canister to be dispersed into the car. To date, 6 people have been killed and over 100 drivers have been injured because of the faulty airbags in their vehicles.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) has been investigating Takata after learning that Takata had known about the defects since 2004 and found that the company had conducted secret tests during non-work hours at their American headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Allegedly, Takata ordered employees to delete data which identified these defects and kept all testing a secret instead of reporting the dangers to federal safety regulators. Thus, starting February 20th, 2015, the NHTSA has been fining Takata $14,000 a day for not cooperating with their investigation.
Some car owners have already received recall notices form the manufacturer informing them what to do if their car fits the criteria of the recall. For those car consumers who worry that their car’s make and model may match the above description, finding out if there is a recall notice on their car is easy. The NHTSA website allows car owners to look their car by it’s VIN number to see if there is a recall issued. If your car has a recall notice issued, then the manufacturer will replace the airbags for you.
If you live in a high humidity climate, it is very important that you look up your car for defective air bags. If your air bags have been recalled but haven’t been replaced yet, you can take preventative measures such as limiting your driving, using public transportation, carpooling in a non-recalled car, or renting a car, to avoid being injured by Takata’s defective air bags. Even if the air bag doesn’t spontaneously erupt on it’s own, it can injure you if it inflates as a result of a car accident.
If you have been injured in a car accident, call The Michigan Law Firm, PLLC. We aim to help victims of motor vehicle accidents deal with the difficulties of medical bills, insurance companies, and police investigations. The Michigan Law Firm’s experienced team makes sure you receive the benefits you are entitled to and helps you recover with dignity. Call us today at 844.4MI.FIRM or click here for a free consult.
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