The Chevy Silverado airbag recall is vital to the safety of the truck’s driver and all its occupants. The problem with the airbags is a likely breakdown in the propellant chemistry when the vehicle is exposed to long-standing sources of environmental humidity or rapid changes of temperature.

The airbag inflator is a metal unit that houses the chemical propellant and, if the breakdown has occurred, the result could be explosive ignition with flying shrapnel throughout the vehicle in the case of an accident.

The Chevy Silverado airbag recall is part of a far larger problem affecting many car manufacturers. According to the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA), the frontal airbag with its propellant and housing issue is present in vehicles made by 19 different automakers.

The defect is not associated with the automakers, but with the company that made the airbags, Takata.

Takata Inc.’s role in the Chevy Silverado airbag recall and the airbag recall of nearly 42 million vehicles to date is huge. Allegedly, the company used ammonium-nitrate based propellant with their airbags when manufactured and failed to add a chemical drying agent.

Airbag inflators that contain a chemical drying agent known as calcium sulfate were found to be problematic as well by the company and resulted in Takata adding 2.7 million vehicles to the recall list on July 11, 2017.

The Chevy Silverado airbag recall was initiated on June 2, 2016 by General Motors (GM). GM also added Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Suburban, and Tahoe, as well as GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon and Yukon XL models to the Takata airbag fix.

The model years affected ranged from 2007 to 2011. Other automakers joining the recall at that time were Audi, BMW, Jaguar/Land Rover, and Mercedes-Benz.

Airbag Recall

According to consumer reports, the NHTSA has identified the Chevy Silverado airbag recall and all related vehicle airbag recalls as one of the most complicated in domestic history.

This of course says nothing of how it has impacted automakers and distributors outside of the U.S. The massive action forced the Takata company to file bankruptcy as of June 26, 2017.

The Takata defective airbag inflators have been linked to 180 injuries and 11 deaths in the United States. The injuries and deaths have been extreme in that they have often involved flying metal pieces embedding in faces and necks.

Fortunately, the incidents that have occurred are a drop in the bucket compared to the number of successful life-saving airbag deployments – according to Takata, there are 88 inflator ruptures to 1.2 million good launches.

Keeping the ratio in mind helps consumers realize just how much airbags do protect us. Taking the time to act upon this Chevy Silverado airbag recall and all other associated recalls is urgent and important for the safety of drivers and their passengers.

Because of the relationship between high-humidity and the propellant breakdown, owners of vehicles living in areas where this type of climate exists should be even more diligent.

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 defective airbag recall lawsuit or defective airbag recall class action lawsuit is best for you. [In general, defective airbag recall lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.] Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

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