A recent article has reported that the airbag manufacturer, Takata, has agreed to a national recall of certain types of their driver and passenger-side airbag inflators. These airbag inflators were made with a propellant that degraded over time causing ruptures that have been linked to the death of six people worldwide. See, http://www.nhtsa.gov/About+NHTSA/Press+Releases/DOT-action-on-takata-air-bag-defects
The number of vehicles to be recalled for defective airbag inflators has risen to almost 34 billion, nearly doubling the potential number of vehicles affected. Takata’s formerly limited regional recall of airbag inflators located in hot and humid climates has been expanded to a nationwide recall involving, more than 16 million vehicles passenger-side air bag inflators, and over 17 million vehicles driver-side air bag inflators.
The Department of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) has required Takata to assist in all future actions, in addition to their cooperation in NHTSA’s current investigation and oversight of the airbag manufacturer. U.S. Transportation Secretary, Anthony Fox, assures the public that the NHTSA is actively taking steps to ensure that the faulty inflators are replaced as quickly and efficiently as possible. NHTSA has created a new website to provide information regarding the status of recalls and the ongoing investigation. See www.SaferCar.gov/RecallsSpotlight
No definitive root cause of the airbag inflator’s malfunction has been found. However, some early investigative results and engineering reports point to moisture infiltrating the inflators over extended periods of time as a possible factor.
Car accidents and product defects have devastating effects on families across the country. Swartz & Swartz, P.C. is committed to assisting the many families whose lives have been forever tragically altered as a result of a significant personal injury or wrongful death due to a car accident or automobile defect. If you would like to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney at Swartz & Swartz, P.C., please contact us. You can call us at (617) 742-1900, or if you are outside the Boston area, call toll-free at 1-800-545-3732. We are here to answer your questions and discuss how to protect your legal rights.
About the Author: James Swartz
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