First Lawsuit in Class Action Against Takata Airbags Filed in Florida

On Monday, October 27th, the first in what is sure to be a deluge of class action personal injury lawsuits was filed in Florida against Takata, after numerous safety recalls led to the discovery of the faulty, exploding airbags.

The personal injury class action against the airbag manufacturer includes 21 plaintiffs across 10 states.

Despite at least two years of vehicle recalls in the United States involving Takata airbags, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration only recently completed an investigation of the potential faults in the airbags, and last week issued its own 7.8 million unit safety recall. Takata airbags have parts that are subject to corrosion, especially in places with high humidity, and that can lead the airbags to explode, causing burn injuries and shrapnel.

The lawsuit was filed to address “the need to protect drivers and passengers from vehicles containing these airbags; and … the diminution in value of vehicles containing Takata airbags.”

The NHTSA is aware of at least 30 personal injuries and 4 deaths related to faulty Takata airbags.

“We deeply regret that the recent recalls of vehicles equipped with our airbags have likely raised significant concerns and troubles to our product users, our customers, shareholders and other stakeholders,” the company’s chairman and chief executive, Shigehisa Takada, said in a statement.

Individual manufacturers have, over the last two years, issued vehicle recalls of their own due to Takata’s faulty airbags, covering 12 million vehicles in all. Reportedly, inflator mechanisms in the Takata airbags can corrode in high humidity, especially in places like Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Hawaii, California, Puerto Rico, Guam, and American Samoa. When the inflator mechanism corrodes, it can cause the airbag to spontaneously inflate and explode, sending hot air and shrapnel into the passengers or driver.

Toyota recently widened its vehicle recall involving Takata airbags by 247,000 vehicles. In September, Honda issued a small vehicle recall covering 63,200 vehicles with Takata airbags, expanding on a previous recall from June – a month in which Mazda, Toyota, and Nissan also recalled cars because they had Takata airbags.

The Strom Law Firm Can Help with Personal Injury and Vehicle Recalls

If an airbag defect in your vehicle caused a car accident, you may not know immediately what recourse you have. Although the law is complicated, you do have legal recourse against the vehicle’s manufacturer. It is important for manufacturers to pay attention to the quality of their products and issue vehicle recall notices in a timely fashion – however, not all automobile manufacturers will do so, and consumers can be seriously injured or killed.

If you have experienced a problem with a defective product in your automobile, especially if a defective part has led to an auto accident or personal injury, and a proper vehicle recall notice has not been issued, you may be entitled to compensation. The attorneys at the Strom Law Firm can help. We can help you with complicated auto insurance claims, and make sure you receive the compensation you deserve to help you with lost income and medical bills. Our attorneys are licensed to practice in South Carolina, Georgia, and New York. We offer free, confidential consultations to discuss the facts of your case, so contact us today at (803) 252-4800.