The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently ordered Takata to recall an additional 2.7 million airbag inflators that may be defective. This expansion affects more than 2.8 million vehicles sold by Ford, Nissan and Mazda.
Defective Takata airbag inflators have caused more than 180 injuries and 17 deaths worldwide, including 12 deaths in the U.S. The death toll was changed to 12 last week, after Honda notified the NHTSA about a man who was killed in June 2016 when a driver-side inflator ruptured while he was making repairs to a 2001 Honda Accord.
If you were injured or lost a loved one due to a faulty Takata airbag, contact the Takata airbag recall lawyers in Cincinnati at O’Connor, Acciani & Levy for a free legal consultation. We are committed to holding manufacturers accountable when they sell dangerous products. We are prepared to aggressively pursue all of the compensation you deserve for the damages you have suffered.
Vehicles Included In New Takata Recall
The recall includes vehicles from the following manufacturers:
Ford
2.2 million Fords from model years 2004 to 2014 are being recalled.
Nissan
627,000 Nissan Versa cars from model years 2007 through 2011 were recalled.
Mazda
Approximately 6,000 Mazda B-Series trucks from model years 2004 to 2009 were also recalled.
Reasons For The Recall
Takata tested inflators from Nissan and Ford vehicles that used calcium sulfate as a drying agent. None of the inflators blew apart, but some showed a pattern of deterioration in the ammonium nitrate propellant that predicts a future risk of the inflator rupturing and spraying shrapnel into vehicle cabins, according to documents Takata filed with the NHTSA.
The NHTSA is currently not requiring Takata to recall all airbag inflators that use a drying agent, as different inflators have different drying agents.
However, the NHTSA is giving Takata until the end of 2019 to prove that inflators with drying agents are safe. Otherwise, the NHTSA will order Takata to do a recall.
Progress Of The Recalls
Despite pressure from Chinese regulators for Takata and automakers to speed up recalls, only one-third of vehicles subject to the recall have been repaired. The repairs have been delayed due to a lack of spare parts and because many of the affected vehicles are older models, which makes it more difficult to track down the owners.
Takata declared bankruptcy in June, which is expected to speed up the production of suitable replacement parts.
Safety advocates are concerned that the recall might have to be expanded further. Initially, Takata stated that the problem was based on climate variants and that inflators with a moisture absorbent feature were safe. However, safety advocates are now concerned that all of the company’s ammonium nitrate-based airbags may pose a danger to drivers and passengers.
The Takata airbag recall is the largest automotive safety recall in U.S. history, affecting approximately 42 million vehicles and 70 million inflators. It has continued to expand since a November 2014 report came out alleging Takata was aware of airbag defects years before notifying the NHTSA.
The recent expansion of the recall is the third such expansion since January, when an additional 652,000 vehicles were recalled.
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