A defective airbag class action lawsuit was recently launched in a Canadian court against the Japanese airbag manufacturer Takata, seeking compensation for all Canadians whose vehicles may contain defective airbags.

One of these victims, Liesa C., became aware of the airbag defect and recall by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and said she is dissatisfied with the quality of the Takata airbags in her 2005 Ford Mustang. She claimed that she is fearful driving her vehicle and dissatisfied with the manner in which Takata is handling the airbag defect situation.

The Takata airbag class action lawsuit seeks Canada-wide compensation for at least 400,000 vehicle owners against Takata in relation to its allegedly defective and dangerous airbags and accuses Takata of purposely withholding important safety information regarding their airbags. The Canadian lawsuit also claims that Takata failed to promptly recall the defective airbags from the Canadian market upon discovery of their propensity to explode.

An International Problem

Takata airbags have reportedly triggered the recall of more than 14 million vehicles from 11 automakers worldwide since 2008. In the United States alone, the defective airbags have been reported to explode under great force and spray shrapnel at occupants, a problem that has reportedly caused four deaths and more than 30 injuries.

According to the NHTSA, the inflating system in the defective Takata airbags can burst or explode when the airbag inflates. The metal canister may be broken into metal shrapnel by the force of inflation. Those metal shards may then pierce the fabric of the airbag and cause serious injuries to anyone in the car.

Takata, the world’s second-largest manufacturer of automotive safety devices, hasn’t detailed why the airbags deploy in this manner. The main theory experts have formed is that the chemical propellant of the airbag inflator becomes contaminated with moisture over time, causing the inflator to deploy with more force than intended.

The first reported exploding airbag occurred in 2004. However, Takata did not issue an airbag recall until 2008. Many lawsuits against Takata are claiming that Takata knew as early as 2001 that its airbags may have had a deadly defect.

In total, more than 14 million vehicles from 11 automakers have been recalled for the Takata airbag defect. Takata allegedly repeatedly failed to fully investigate the airbag malfunction and issue proper recalls, allowing the problem to proliferate and cause numerous injuries and at least four U.S. deaths over the last 13 years.

In the United States, Congress is investigating whether Takata attempted to cover up the dangers of its airbags and risk to the public.