Massive Car Recall Announced for Exploding Airbags

When you are driving your vehicle, you trust that that car is going to work properly and keep you safe from harm. Yet a recent recall shows that not all vehicles are safety proof. In fact, a common airbag that is installed in a variety of different vehicles by different manufacturers was recently discovered to be unsafe.

Now, over 3 million cars manufactured by Toyota, Hyundai, General Motors and Nissan need to be returned to their dealerships for repairs and the replacement of the faulty airbags. According to The Los Angeles Times, the vehicles all have the same faulty airbags that can explode and send shrapnel into the passenger cabin.

The problem was discovered by Japanese safety regulators last night, and affects automakers internationally since the Takata airbag company often ships their product all over the world. One analyst says that Takata provides many auto manufacturers in the United States with their airbags.

So far, all recalled cars have been produced between 2000 and 2004 but there may be more automobiles that will be listed on the recall post later on. In some of the vehicles that are currently apart of the recall, there is a propellant that is housed in a metal canister in the car.

In some instances, the system can burn too quickly, which will cause an unexpected and dangerous explosion. This results in metal shards which will rocket up to the windshield and ricochet to a passenger's feet. Oftentimes, the gases that are in the propellant fill up the airbag, which is what protects a passenger in the event of a crash. If the propellant burns too quickly then it can burst apart without ever filling the airbag.

One Hondo Motor Company spokesman says that he has heard of one passenger in a Honda that was involved in an accident when the airbag deployed because of too much pressure. Honda is recalling 1.1 million vehicles as a part of the recall, and Toyota has announced that they will recall 1.7 million vehicles including the Corolla, Matrix, Sequoia Tundra and Lexus.

Toyota says that they have heard five reports of the airbags exploding spontaneously, and three of those instances have been in the United States. Still, there is not any evidence that people have been injured from the airbags. Spokesmen for Toyota say that in all situations that airbags deployed during a crash, but the deployment was defective.

Nissan says that they will be recalling 480,000 of their vehicles throughout the world, but are not sure how many they will need to recall in North America. General Motors says that they will be recalling about 55,000 of their Pontiac Vibe vehicles from 2003. Mazda also says that they will recall about 20,000 worldwide but only about 200 cars in the United States will need to be repaired and replaced with new airbags.

Ford says that they are currently investigating manufacturing to see if they used the Takata products in any of their models and need to announce a recall. Chrysler claims that they were not affected by the airbag issue and will not need to do any recalls as a result. In the recent past, Toyota has had to recall more than 10 million cars for a variety of problems and the company was recently fined by U.S. regulators when they were not making moves and announce recalls as rapidly as they should.

Automakers have been very quick about recalling cars after they were fined. If your car is outfitted with a Takata airbag system, then it is important to participate in the recall for your own safety. If you have been injured by an airbag malfunction or in any other car accident, then you can discuss your case with a Manhattan personal injury lawyer at Segal & Lax today!