A Dodge airbag recall regarding airbags made by Takata could signal the existence of product defects that may be grounds for a class action lawsuit.

If you or lease a Dodge vehicle, the airbags could explode with such force as to cause severe injury or even death. Affected vehicles include 2010-2014 Challengers, 2010-2015 Chargers, and 2010-2011 Dakotas. The Chrysler 300 model years 2010-2015 also are on the list.

The problem stems from a defective airbag inflator, which is a metal cartridge filled with a propellant. Made to inflate the airbag quickly in the event of an accident, the faulty Takata airbags burst with too much force, causing the metal cartridge to rip apart and send metal pieces at high velocity toward the driver and passenger.

Airbags are supposed to contain an adequate amount of a drying agent that tempers the force of the airbag’s deployment. The products covered by the Dodge airbag recall allegedly lack enough of the drying agent.

The active ingredient is ammonium nitrate, which is a chemical used in building some types of bombs. The speed of deploying the airbag is important to save lives, but the explosion has to be controlled or else it’s too dangerous.

Experts believe high heat and humidity cause the ammonium nitrate propellant to degrade, making the issue worse.

Dodge Airbag Recall is Expensive

The Takata airbags are creating life-threatening problems in these affected vehicles, which are not safe to drive until the airbags are fixed.

The Dodge airbag recall is compounded by the fact that Takata announced bankruptcy on June 25, 2017, supposedly as a result of a $1 billion settlement with the U.S. Justice Department in January when three Takata executives were indicted on wire fraud and conspiracy charges.  Emails showed the three allegedly submitted false reports to automakers in an effort to conceal the potentially deadly problems with the airbags.

Before Takata’s bankruptcy announcement, the auto manufacturers had believed Takata would cover the cost to replace the recalled airbags.

Because few companies manufacture airbags, high demand and low supplies force long waits for parts, which will increase in cost due to market demand.

In addition, consumers have had to shoulder the cost of finding and using alternative transportation while waiting for their defective cars to be fixed. Not all dealerships have become equipped to help customers with alternative transportation such as loaner cars or shuttle service. Fewer than one-third of the affected airbags had been replaced as of April of this year.

If you own or lease a vehicle affected by the Dodge airbag recall, you could benefit by speaking with an attorney regarding your potential to participate in a recalled airbag class action lawsuit.

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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