Amanda Antell  |  July 1, 2015

Category: Consumer News

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Airbag explodes on steering wheelToyota has recently announced that it is recalling an additional 1.37 million vehicles, due to potential exploding airbags.

These recalled vehicles each contain airbags that were manufactured by Takata Corporation, which recently came under fire over their airbags, which unexpectedly combust due to moisture changes.

These explosions would reportedly send metal or other shrapnel into the passenger compartment, resulting in injuries and potential deaths. Numerous vehicles manufacturers were effected as many of them bought airbags from Takata, which included Japanese automaker Toyota.

Toyota chose to issue another recall of its own cars, on top of the 8 million cars already recalled by other companies, after receiving a recent report from Takata and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The Toyota recall expansion brings the total number of Toyota cars recalled to 2.9 million in the United States, due to the risks associated with Takata airbags.

Tens of millions of cars have been effected by the Takata airbag recall, with numerous deaths and serious injuries reported. This recent Toyota recall follows after Honda’s recall over 1.39 million Honda Accord and Civic vehicles, which supposedly contained the exploding airbags.

According to reports, a total of 24 Toyota vehicles have had exploding airbag incidents that resulted in eight injuries. Overall, the Takata airbags have been allegedly responsible for six deaths and dozens of injuries in the United States, with most of them involving Honda vehicles.

However, even having just one incident associated with the Takata airbag recall is enough to send Toyota into a corrective response campaign. Toyota officials state that their focus is safety of their customers, and it will continue to respond as quick as possible to new developments in the Takata airbag recall, so they can solve the problems as quickly as possible.

Toyota owners, who have recalled vehicles, will be notified by mail to take their car to either their closest Toyota or Lexus dealership for a free replacement of airbag inflator.

The NHTSA encourages owners of recalled vehicles to schedule their own repair appointments after they receive their notification but also urges owners to take corrective action with any of their cars if they may be affected by the Takata airbag recall.

Despite the number of recalls made in the Takata airbag scandal, experts criticize the car companies over the slow rate of repairs and replacement airbags.

Takata representatives explain that the number of affected vehicles is so large, that the company cannot keep up with the demand of replacement parts. Additionally, it has also been pointed out that even replacing the airbags may not resolve the problem because experts are still unsure of what is causing the ruptures.

Overview of Takata Airbag Litigation

The combustion from the airbags is allegedly due to a design defect that allows moisture levels to change from with changing humidity in the environment and then seeps into the airbag system.

Takata airbags inflate from a chemical called ammonium nitrate, which causes the airbags to inflate instantly in the case of a collision. However, when this chemical interacts with moisture it becomes highly reactive and explodes, sending out dangerous shrapnel, plastic, and metal debris into the vehicle. Victims of these exploding airbags reportedly bear injuries similar to being shot or stabbed.

Despite the severity of this risk, Takata reportedly sat on this information as far back as 2001 when Japanese auto manufacturer, Isuzu, issued its own recall. However, other auto companies were reportedly not as quick to respond. Honda reportedly knew about the exploding airbag problems as early as 2004, and other auto companies would have reportedly been aware by 2008.

However, the Takata airbag recall did not happen until 2013, leading to numerous product liability and negligence lawsuits being filed across the country. Each of these lawsuits have been filed by customers who either suffered serious injuries from the exploding airbags, or lost a loved one.

On Feb. 5, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation ordered all Takata airbag lawsuits to be consolidated under one judge. U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno of the Southern District of Florida has been assigned to the multidistrict litigation (MDL). More than 67 different lawsuits from 20 federal courts have been transferred to the Takata MDL.

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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