Takata Airbag Injuries Could Be Grounds for an Airbag Failure Lawsuit

If you or someone close to you were either hurt by an exploding airbag or suffered from an airbag that failed to deploy, you may be eligible to file an airbag failure lawsuit.

Takata Corporation, an airbag manufacturer based in Japan, recently announced on Jan. 8, 2018 that it was expanding on a previous recall of 34 million vehicles. You can see a list of the affected vehicles on our defective airbags investigation page.

The company is adding an additional recall affecting 3.3 million new vehicles due to defective airbags that not only may fail to deploy but may degrade overtime causing serious injuries and death. Takata airbags have led to as many as 180 injuries and at least 20 deaths, which have led many vehicle owners to file an airbag failure lawsuit.

Vehicles affected by the new recall include vehicle models such as the 2003 Acura 3.2CL, the 2002-2003 Acura 3.2TL, and the 2013-2014 Acura ILX Hybrid. Other vehicles include Audi models such as the 2006-2013 Audi A3, the 2006-2009 Audi A4 Cabriolet, and the 2008 Audi RS 4 Cabriolet.

Some BMW models also included in the new recall are the 2008-2013 BMW 1 Series, the 2000-2013 BMW 3 Series, and 2002-2003 BMW 5 Series. Cadillac (GM) models included are the 2007-2014 Cadillac Escalade, the 2007- 2014 Cadillac Escalade ESV, and the 2007-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT.

Takata Airbag Failure

Many Takata airbags are causing both drivers and passengers of affective vehicles to suffer injuries and even death from excessively exploding airbags or from airbags that failed to deploy. This has led to an increasing number of individuals to file an airbag failure lawsuit. The deadly defects linked to the Takata airbags are affecting dozens of auto manufacturers and more than 37 million vehicles.

Individuals filing an airbag failure lawsuit have linked the issue to the airbag inflator. This defect has been confirmed by regulators. An airbag inflator is typically made up of a metal cartridge loaded with propellant. When it becomes activated, the inflator is designed to inflate rapidly.

The issue that occurs with Takata airbags is that they inflate with too much force, potentially injuring occupants in a motor vehicle. In fact, defective Takata airbags inflate with so much force that the metal cartridge holding the propellant ruptures and causes metal shrapnel to fly throughout a vehicle. In a normal vehicle that does not have a defective airbag, the explosive force should be just enough to deploy the airbag.

Regulators also state that there is not enough of a necessary drying agent to allow the airbag to deploy and not inflate with too much force. Added factors that may also cause the airbag to excessively deflate includes high heat and humidity.

The propellant chemical used in the Takata airbags is ammonium nitrate. It allows the airbag to inflate in milliseconds. The downside to using this chemical is that it can render it unstable especially if it is present among vehicles located in regions of high humidity and heat.

There are also causes as to why an airbag would fail to deploy. These causes include defective parts, atmospheric effects, the devices’ physical properties, and chemicals that make up the propellant used to allow the airbag to explode.

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.

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