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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is conducting an investigation into faulty airbags that may fail to deploy in an accident. The NHTSA has expanded its search to include airbags in cars made by six different automakers. Reportedly, 12.3 million vehicles will be affected by this investigation.
Tragically, this widened investigation was spurred on by five deaths that reportedly were related to faulty safety systems. Some reports say that the death toll could be as high as eight. Four of these deaths involved Hyundai or Kia vehicles, and three were reported with Fiat Chrysler vehicles.
This investigation involves airbags made by TRW, owned by the German auto-parts company ZF.
Consumer Reports says that the allegedly faulty airbags in question fail to inflate as they should during a crash. Allegedly, both the passenger and driver-side airbags are failing to deploy. According to Consumer Reports’ summary of the alleged defect, “it’s possible that the crashes are sending harmful electrical signals through sensor wiring that damages the control units.”
Because the problem affects so many vehicles made by a number of car makers, the problem “requires an industry-wide solution, not a case-by-case evaluation,” says William Wallace, safety policy advocate for Consumer Reports.
Because of the severity of the problem, the NHTSA reportedly has upgraded their investigation from a preliminary one to an engineering analysis. This is reportedly one step towards ordering a recall.
Multiple Recalls Already Issued
Recalls over the issue were started in 2016, when Fiat Chrysler Automobiles recalled 1.4 million Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles equipped with the allegedly faulty airbags. Because the problem originated with the wiring, and not the airbags themselves, other vehicles with the same airbags but different wiring are not subject to the recall.
For its part, Honda is reportedly conducting its own internal review of the possibly affected airbags. The company reportedly cooperated with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for its report.
Last year, Hyundai and Kia recalled almost 1.1 vehicles as a result of the issue. Reportedly, that recall was instituted about a year after NHTSA began investigating the problem.
Experts in the field have criticized the auto industry for not responding swiftly enough to the alleged faulty airbags problem, pointing the finger at both the automakers involved and the NHTSA.
Jason Levine, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, says about the airbag recall that “while the first fatality reports emerged three years ago, it has taken a higher body count for more significant action to be taken by NHTSA and most impacted manufactures remain silent. The industry needs to do better,” as quoted by NPR.
Further enhancing the criticism of this issue is the fact that this is not the first time in recent memory when a large number of vehicles were affected by airbags with defects, to a degree that necessitated a recall. There is a currently a recall on vehicles made by 19 automakers that are equipped with airbags made by Takata. A problem in these airbags created the risk that their metal inflators might explode, sending shrapnel all over the interior of the vehicle.
Consumer Reports notes that the NHTSA said that the ensuing Takata recall resulted in what has been dubbed “the largest and most complex safety recall in US history.” Car owners and industry experts alike may wonder why another airbag problem is occurring again.
Join a Free Defective Vehicle Airbag Class Action Lawsuit Investigation
If you own a vehicle with a defective ZF-TRW airbag, you may qualify to join this defective airbag class action lawsuit investigation. You don’t need to have been in an accident to participate. See if your vehicle is included by looking it up on our investigation page.
This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.
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10 thoughts onUS Government Investigating Faulty Airbags in 12 Million Vehicles
Count me in! 2006 dodge durango
I tried to look up my vehicle but am unable to. My vehicle was a 2004 Mitsubishi Montero Sport it rolled 3 1/2 times due to not having the EOS I believe it’s called which I just recently found out & because it was top heav. Also none of my airbags deployed not my front nor my side one’s. To top it off the seatbelt locked and I was trapped in the SUV for I believe the paramedic said 45 minutes & then the paramedics never put a neck brace on me! I had an accident attorney who was supposed to help me but I learned he filed bankruptcy & his accident lawsuit employment is no longer available! Only his criminal & family defense I believe it is, is open. I’ve had 34 surgeries and I have a lot more to come. I’ll have my 35th surgery on Monday October 21st my entire right side of my jaw has to be replaced with titaniun! I have metal in my body head to toe & suffer 24/7/365! The maxillofacial surgeon replacing my jaw believes some of the damage could have came from my rollover. My accident was on October 21, 2008 I had to relearn how to do everything including talk! I still have horrible memory problems since the accident which wasn’t my fault! I still stutter sometimes and have a hard time concentrating that’s why it’s taken me well over an hour to type this up. Please ANYONE HELP?! I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I’M SUPPOSED TO DO since my attorney quit his accident practice and never completed my lawsuit against Mitsubishi or anyone else. PLEASE PLEASE HELP. The day I rolled my vehicle is the day my life ended CPS/DCFS took my 3 children that day & even though I fought CPS in court for 8-9 years after that I never got my kid’s, my world back until my son turned old enough to live on his own and my middle aged daughter as well. My youngest daughter I am not allowed to talk to or see or even Facebook message her because of her dad & third step mom. PLEASE I’M BEGGING WITH ALL MY HEART & SOUL & EVERY BEING IN MY BODY PLEASE HELP ME (Not married just kept my daughter’s dad’s last name so I have the same last name as my children, my son’s dad passed away while I was pregnant.)
Add me 2009 Nissan Sentra
Include me please\Thanks – 2008 Hummer H3
Malibu Chevy 2012 did not deploy in wreck 4-12-2019
Add me – 2005 Ford Mustang
Add me 2014 Ford Escape
Add me Ford Escape 2012
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