Amanda Antell  |  December 18, 2014

Category: Consumer News

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truck dealershipThe Takata airbag recall is affecting more automakers as Chrysler, Ford and Mazda have announced they are expanding their recall of passenger-side airbags in certain regions due to reports that they can explode in hot, humid conditions, sending plastic and metal shrapnel into unsuspecting passengers.

In the past few months, Honda has led the Takata airbag recall charge by electing to recall all vehicles nationwide that contain airbags manufactured by the Japanese parts maker. Chrysler, Ford and Mazda are only recalling airbags sold and registered in certain regions.

About 8 million cars have been recalled due to the exploding airbags which have been linked to at least four deaths and 30 injuries. Multiple lawsuits and class action lawsuits have been filed against the airbag manufacturer, Takata Corporation, for failing to protect consumers against this potential danger. The Takata airbag class action lawsuits accuse the company and American automakers of knowing about the dangerous defect but failing to pull the airbags from the market right away.

Chrysler announced earlier this month it is recalling 149,150 Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickups sold or registered in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and the territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Saipan, and the Virgin Islands. After discovering the complication, the company began notifying customers on Jan. 19, 2014. The company said it is unaware of any actual incidents of airbag explosions, but they will continue t observe the situation.

Ford is recalling 38,500 of its 2004-2005 Ford Ranger and 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles sold in Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands were affected, along with certain zip codes of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Guam, Saipan and American Samoa.

As for Mazda, the company has estimated that 86,773 vehicles will be recalled Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Saipan, Guam, American Samoa, US Virgin Islands, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas to the affected areas. The company has teamed up with Toyota to run independent safety testing of Takata airbag inflators.

Overview of Takata Airbag Recall

Currently, multiple class action lawsuits have been filed against Takata Corporation and the automakers for failing to immediately recall and address the exploding airbag problem. Investigators have accused the Japanese company of knowing of the airbag defects since 2001 but failing to notify federal regulators. Takata began recalling these vehicles in 2013, but the number of affected automobiles continues to increase as time goes on.

The airbag defect is caused by a design flaw in the airbag’s interior, which allows moisture from humidity to seep into the airbag system. The airbag uses the chemical ammonium nitrate, which causes the airbag to inflate in the event of a crash. However, when the chemical comes into contact with this humidity-induced moisture, it combusts. Consequently, lethal amounts of plastic and metal debris are sent into the vehicle, causing injury to passengers. Injuries caused by the flying shrapnel are reportedly similar to stab wounds.

The Takata airbag recall affects more than 50 models from Toyota, Honda, Mazda, BMW, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors vehicles that were made between 2000 and 2011. This includes:

  • Acura – MDX / TL / CL / RL
  • BMW – 3 Series Sedan / Coupe / Convertible / Wagon, M3 Coupe / Convertible
  • Chrysler – 300, Aspen
  • Dodge – Ram 1500 / 2500 / 3500/ 4500 / 5500, Durango, Dakota
  • Ford – GT, Mustang, Ranger
  • Honda – Accord, Civic, CRV, Element, Odyssey, Pilot
  • Infiniti – I30, I35, QX4, FX35, FX45
  • Lexus – SC
  • Mazda – 6, Speed 6, RX, 8, MPV, B Series Truck
  • Mitsubishi – Lancer, Raider
  • Nissan – Maxima, Pathfinder, Sentra
  • Pontiac – Vibe
  • Saab – 9-2X
  • Subaru – Baja, Legacy, Outback, Impreza
  • Toyota – Corolla, Sequoia, Tundra

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The airbag injury attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual airbag lawsuit or Takata airbag class action lawsuit is best for you. [In general, airbag injury lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.] Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

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