Two Exploding Airbag Class Actions Filed Against Takata

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

Two exploding airbag class action lawsuits have been filed against the airbag manufacturer Takata Corp. and several automakers who install Takata airbags into their vehicles, including Ford Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp., BMW of North America LLC, Nissan North America Inc., and Honda Motor Co.

These Takata class action lawsuits, which were filed in California and Florida federal courts, stemmed from several consumer complaints regarding defective Takata airbags that allegedly exploded and injured a number of drivers. The Takata airbags were recalled earlier this year.

As a result of the exploding airbag defect, BMW and Nissan were forced to recall their most popular models installed with the allegedly defective Takata airbags. Additionally, both Takata exploding airbag class action lawsuits claim, “As a result of Takata’s and the Vehicle Manufacturer Defendants’ misconduct, Plaintiffs and the Classes were harmed and suffered actual damages in that the Defective Vehicles have potentially deadly airbags that pose an ongoing threat to drivers and passengers and have drastically diminished the value of the cars in which they are installed.”

The airbag class action lawsuits state that there are over 14 million vehicles of different makes and models worldwide that have been recalled due to the Takata airbag defect. The defect allegedly causes the Takata airbags to explode when in humid conditions. Most of the vehicles containing the defective Takata exploding airbags were recalled last year, although plaintiffs allege automakers were aware of the defect long before 2013.

According to the Takata airbag class action lawsuits, automakers would have reasonably known of the exploding airbag defect as early as 2008, when Honda notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the Takata airbag defect. However, the plaintiffs of these separate Takata class action lawsuits allege that the airbag manufacturer and the various automakers neglected to address the airbag issue, which allegedly led to a number of consumer injuries and deaths.

The Florida-based Takata exploding airbag class action lawsuit claims the Takata airbags, “instead of protecting vehicle occupants from bodily injury during accidents, violently explode and expel vehicle occupants with lethal amounts of metal debris and shrapnel.” The plaintiffs further allege Takata was aware of the exploding airbag defect as early as 2001 when an Isuzu vehicle recall occurred, though the defect was allegedly present in various car models in April 2000.

Despite this 2001 recall and the 2004 Honda exploding air bag incidences, Takata allegedly never disclosed the exploding airbag defect to federal regulators and the NHTSA remained largely unaware of the lethal defect until the 2008 Honda report and subsequent recall of 4,000 Honda Accord and Civic vehicles. However, this recall was expanded to 400,000 cars when reports of exploding airbags occurred in minor fender benders.

According to the Florida Takata exploding airbag class action lawsuit, “In recent incidents, first responders have been baffled by the fact that victims of apparently minor accidents suffered injuries more consistent with being shot or stabbed repeatedly.” Because of the serious and allegedly fatal nature of the Takata exploding airbag defect, both lawsuits are seeking to certify a nationwide Class of consumers whose vehicles were affected by the recall and will include state specific subclasses in Florida and California.

The plaintiffs are represented by Roland Tellis, Mark Pifko, David Fernandes and J. Burton LeBlanc of Baron & Budd PC; Lawrence A. Sucharow, Christopher J. Keller, Martis Alex, Eric J. Belfi, Michael W. Stocker and Gregory S. Asciolla of Labaton Sucharow LLP; Peter Prieto, John Gravante III and Matthew Weinshall of Podhurst Orseck PA; by Michael M. Goldberg of Glancy Binkow & Goldberg; and Frank. C. Dudenhefer Jr. of Dudenhefer Law Firm LLC.

The Takata Exploding Airbag Class Action Lawsuits are Dunn, et al. v. Takata Corp., Case No. 1:14-cv-24009, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, and Takeda, et al. v. Takata Corp. et al., Case No. 14-cv-08324,in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.