Owners of vehicles affected by the Dodge Takata airbag recall could have been put at prolonged risk while waiting for the manufacturer to address the defect.

The affected models include 2010-2014 Challengers, 2010-2015 Chargers, 2010-2011 Dakotas, and 2010-2015 Chrysler 300 cars.

These seriously flawed airbags could explode so forcefully they cause severe injury or even death. A defective airbag inflator, which is a metal cartridge filled with propellant, is the culprit.

Airbags are supposed to inflate quickly in the event of an accident, but these Takata airbags may burst forth with too much force. In some cases, the metal cartridge rips apart and sends metal pieces flying at high speeds toward the driver and passenger.

Airbag science dictates that an adequate amount of a drying agent must temper the force of the airbag’s deployment. The Dodge Takata airbag recall is necessary because the cartridges allegedly lack enough of that drying agent.

Dodge Takata Airbag Recall Points to Unhindered Explosive

Ammonium nitrate is the active ingredient used in the deployment of airbags. This is the same chemical used to build some types of bombs.

Even though an accident can occur in a fraction of a second, the airbag’s speed of deployment needs to be controlled to prevent adding further injuries to the vehicle’s occupants.

The Dodge Takata airbag recall makes it clear that life-threatening situations can occur in the affected vehicles until the airbags are fixed.

Takata declared bankruptcy in June 2017, reportedly as a result of a $1 billion settlement with the U.S. Justice Department announced in January over the fact that three Takata executives were indicted on conspiracy and wire fraud charges.

Investigations found emails that indicated the three executives allegedly distributed false reports to automakers in an attempt to hide the potentially deadly issues with the defective airbags.

Prior to Takata’s announcement of bankruptcy proceedings, the Dodge Takata airbag recall was going to be an expense that Takata covered. Now, the cost to replace the recalled airbags has become a point of contention.

Few other companies are in the airbag manufacturing business, which means customers are waiting longer than they should to see their vehicles restored to a safe condition. The high demand and short supplies will undoubtedly increase the cost of the needed repairs.

Fewer than 33 percent of the defective airbags had been replaced as of April 2017.

While the vehicles are in the shop for this repair, consumers have had to pay for the cost of finding and using alternative transportation. Not all dealerships are equipped to provide alternative transportation such as a loaner car or shuttle service. Those that do provide such services have been maxed out with requests from affected drivers seeking to have their airbags repaired as soon as possible.

If your vehicle is affected by the Dodge Takata airbag recall, you could benefit by speaking with an attorney regarding your legal options in this matter now complicated by Takata’s bankruptcy.

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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