Florida Drivers May Receive Takata Air Bag Payout

Consumers in Florida may be able to recover a Takata air bag payout of between $50 and $150 by participating in an attorney general program.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has announced a special program designed to incentivize Florida drivers to replace defective Takata airbags in their Honda or Acura vehicles. Around 52,000 Floridians will be eligible for this vehicle defect program.

According to Moody, eligible drivers in the state should receive a letter with a pre-loaded debit card within the next several weeks. However, the card will only be activated once consumers take their Honda or Acura vehicles in to a dealership to have their Takata air bag replaced for free. After this, the card will be activated – putting between $50 and $150 directly into Floridian’s pockets.

In order to receive a Takata air bag payout, consumers must take their vehicle in to be repaired by April 23, 2021. To make an air bag replacement appointment, Florida consumers can call 1-888-234-2138. The appointment to have the Takata air bags replaced reportedly takes around an hour – with loaner vehicles and towing assistance available to consumers.

Information about this program and the gift card can be directed to 1-855-917-3583.

Moody urges Floridians to partake in this incentive program so that they can avoid “life-threatening injuries.” Defective Takata airbags in Honda and Acura vehicles can reportedly rupture when the airbags deploy – sending metal shards flying throughout the car. Without vehicle repairs, even a minor accident could kill or seriously injure people in the car.

“The safety of my fellow Floridians is of the greatest importance to me and my office,” Moody said in a statement. “Following our successful multimillion-dollar resolution with Honda that will result in added safeguards put in place by Honda to prevent airbag safety risks in the future, my office is instituting this supplemental incentive program, with Honda’s assistance, as a logical next step in furthering our efforts to get these dangerous vehicles repaired and airbag inflators replaced so that our roads are safer for all Floridians.”

Takata Air Bag Payout & Safety Issues

The recent Takata air bag payout program is connected to an earlier deal between Moody and Honda. In August, the Florida attorney general announced a multi-state agreement with American Honda Motor Co. Inc. and Honda of America Mfg. Inc. in which the companies agreed to pay $85 million to 48 states. Of this total, Florida received $4.7 million.

The settlement resolved multi state allegations that Honda failed to inform both regulators and consumers that Takata air bags in Honda and Acura vehicles were defective. According to Moody, these front airbags could rupture – leading to metal fragments being launched into the passenger compartments.

Unfortunately, the high heat and humidity in Florida may increase the chance that Takata air bags’ inflators will rupture.

At the time of the settlement announcement, at least 14 deaths – including three Floridians – and over 200 injuries in the United States had been linked to car accidents in vehicles with the allegedly defective air bags. In September, Honda announced the 26th death due to airbag complications.

Reportedly, Honda engineers suspected that the airbags were defective but delayed informing the public in a prompt manner. After issuing partial recalls in 2008 and 2009, the company eventually recalled 12.9 million Honda and Acura vehicles with air bags dating back to 2008.

“Floridians depend heavily on their motor vehicles in everyday life and should not be put in danger as a result of a defect from a manufacturer,” Moody said in a statement following the deal. “Due to Honda’s failure to properly ensure the complete safety of their vehicles and allegedly keeping important information from consumers, innocent lives were lost and hundreds more were injured.”

Join a Free Vehicle Safety Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you own a vehicle that you believe has a safety defect and you are outside of the warranty period or you believe the defect should be covered by the warranty and it’s not, or you or a family member have been injured by a safety related defect, you may qualify to join this vehicle safety defect class action lawsuit investigation.

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.