Takata Airbag Recall Affects Vehicles from Seven Car Manufacturers
An expansion of the original Takata airbag recall affects vehicles with airbags that could fail to inflate or shoot metal debris at passengers during an accident.
Defective airbags manufactured by Takata Corp. continue to cause problems for car manufacturers, with recalls affecting close to 10 million different Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Chrysler, Nissan, BMW and Ford models that may feature faulty airbags that could rupture or fail to inflate in the event of an accident. The original Takata airbag recall was expanded by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on June 23, and now affects vehicles manufactured by at least seven different automakers. If you believe you have been harmed by a faulty auto part, such as a recalled Takata airbag, contact a defective auto party attorney today to discuss your possible compensation options.
Injuries, Deaths Linked to Faulty Airbags
Takata Corp. is a Japan-based automobile parts and safety systems supplier that has come under scrutiny recently as serious concerns continue to be raised about the safety of the company’s airbags. There have been at least two deaths linked to Takata airbags recently, both involving Honda vehicles where debris was ejected into the vehicle when the airbags inflated. While many vehicles featuring Takata airbags are being recalled due to the risk of injury from defective airbag inflators, which could fire shrapnel into the passenger’s compartment during an accident, others are being recalled because humidity could potentially cause the airbags to malfunction.
Recalled Vehicles with Defective Airbag Inflators
Mazda vehicles affected by the Takata airbag recall include 160,000 model year 2004 to 2008 RX-8 vehicles, 2003 to 2007 Mazda6 models, 2006 to 2007 MazdaSpeed6 models, and 2004 MPV models.
The recalled Honda vehicles include about 2 million Honda Civic, Element, CR-V and Odyssey models in North America, and CR-V, Civic, Fit/Jazz and Stream models in Europe, manufactured from April 2000 to October 2002.
Nissan vehicles affected by the recall include 755,000 vehicles manufactured between 2001 and 2003, including Pathfinder, Maxima, Infiniti I30/35, Sentra, FX and QX4 models.
The recalled Toyota vehicles include about 2.3 million Corolla, Matrix Hatchback, Tundra pickup, Sequoia SUV and Lexus SC 430 vehicles manufactured from 2001 to 2004.
Recalled Vehicles with Airbags Affected by Humidity
The Ford recall affects about 45,000 Mustang vehicles built at the Auto Alliance Plant from August 1, 2004 to June 30, 2007, roughly 14,000 Ranger vehicles built at the Twin Cities Assembly Plant from August 1, 2003 to July 31, 2004, and about 450 GT vehicles built at the Wixom Assembly Plant from April 1, 2004 to June 30, 2007.
Chrysler is working to identify the serial numbers of its vehicles that may feature defective Takata airbags, and has agreed to replace airbag inflators in its vehicles manufactured from January 1, 2004 to June 30, 2007, in Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
BMW has announced that it has not specifically found any safety defects in its vehicles, but it still initiating a recall of model year 2001 to 2005 Series sedans, 2001 to 2006 3 Series coupes, 2001 to 2005 3 Series sports wagons, and 2001 to 2006 3 Series convertibles.
Contact a Defective Auto Part Lawyer Today
The expanded airbag recall comes less than two weeks after the NHTSA launched an investigation into Takata-made airbags, which have been subject to a number of recalls in recent years over reports of exploding airbags shooting scrap metal towards passengers. If you have been injured in an incident involving a defective airbag or another faulty auto part, our consumer advocates can help. We are dedicated to protecting the rights of consumers harmed by dangerous products, and can put you in touch with a reputable attorney who has experience handling defective auto part claims.
[box type=”note” align=”aligncenter” ]Source: http://www.safercar.gov/Vehicle+Owners/NHTSA-statement-on-takata-air-bags[/box]
