Investigation Looks into Reports that Airbags Didn’t Deploy

Class action investigators are reviewing injury reports from consumers whose Takata airbags didn’t deploy upon impact and who may have suffered serious injury or death.

In January 2018, Takata announced it was expanding its previous recall of 34 million vehicles to include 3.3 million new makes and models, which were recalled due to allegedly defective airbags that degraded overtime and could suddenly explode. A list of the affected vehicles is  available on our defective airbag investigation page.

Takata agreed to pay $1 billion to resolve allegations of fraud related to these defective airbags.

At least 20 deaths and over 180 deaths have been allegedly linked to these defective Takata airbags, with organizations like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at the forefront of recall efforts.

The NHTSA had issued a formal demand for a nationwide recall, after it was discovered that Takata allegedly knew about the defective airbags as early as 2000 but didn’t begin recall efforts until 2014. Recalls have since been issued in other countries, where vehicles with the allegedly defective airbags are sold.

In addition to the exploding airbag defect, investigators are also looking into allegations that the airbags didn’t deploy, exposing vehicle occupants to further injury and deprived them of their car’s vital safety component.

Overview of Takata Airbag Deployment Issues

Airbags are essential components for modern vehicles, which are supposed to provide protective cushions for driver and passengers in case of collision. These devices are often behind small doors, which are designed to inflate when impact is detected.

For consumers whose airbags didn’t deploy, they received no such protection and most likely received more severe injuries than they would have if the airbags had worked.

These defective airbags subject to the recall are the front airbags. The source of the problem is the airbag inflator, in which a metal cartridge containing propellant is used for deployment. The propellant in the airbags is reportedly prone to deterioration in high temperature and humidity. This propellant is made from ammonium nitrate, which is a chemical well known for bomb making purposes.

Takata airbags contain small amounts of this propellant, which are designed to deploy with just the right amount of force to provide a safety cushion. Instead of deploying upon impact, the airbags have been reportedly exploring or failing due the allegedly defective nature in how the airbags were made.

According to injury reports, these Takata airbags have been either exploding like a small bomb inside the car or the airbags didn’t deploy at all. Takata is one of the largest provides of vehicle airbags in the United States, producing 260 million and 285 million airbags reportedly containing the problematic propellant from 2000 to 2015.

Vehicles owners whose airbags didn’t deploy may be eligible for compensation and may be able to file their own legal action.

Were You Affected by the Takata Airbag Defect?

The Takata airbag recall affects over 37 million vehicles sold or leased under dozens of different brands, including:

• Acura
• Audi
• BMW
• Cadillac
• Chevrolet
• Chrysler
• Daimler
• Sprinter
• Sterling Bullet
• Ferrari
• Dodge/Ram
• Fisker
• Ford
• GMC
• Honda
• Infiniti
• Jaguar
• Jeep
• Land Rover
• Lexus
• Lincoln
• Mazda
• McLaren
• Mercedes-Benz
• Mercury
• Mitsubishi
• Nissan
• Pontiac
• Saab
• Saturn
• Scion
• Subaru
• Tesla
• Toyota
• Volkswagen

If you have owned or leased a vehicle under any of the brands above, you may qualify to file your own airbag lawsuit or Takata class action lawsuit.
You can find a full list of makes, models and model years on our Defective Airbag Recall Investigation Page.

Learn More