Explosive Airbags Could Land Takata in the Red as Vehicle Recalls Expand

On Wednesday, July 16th, BMW announced an explosive airbag recall covering 574,000 cars in the United States because the automobiles had an explosive airbag manufactured by Takata.

The automotive manufacturer’s vehicle recall covers 1.6 million cars worldwide.

The Takata Corporation recently informed numerous car manufacturers, as well as the public, that they found a defect in their airbags which can cause them to explode and injure drivers and passengers. According to regulators, the airbags can rupture and injure passengers, not only with an explosion of hot air, but with shrapnel from the exploding pieces.

Takata is one of the three largest producers of airbags in the world, which means that their airbags can be found in almost any manufacturer’s vehicles. In June, the company stated that an internal investigation showed that at least 7 automobile manufacturers used the company’s defective airbags. Shortly thereafter, Nissan, Mazda, Honda, Toyota, and the much-maligned General Motors issued vehicle recalls for models affected by the defective Takata airbags.

BMW has already issued one explosive airbag recall – last spring – due to problems with Takata’s airbags. Now, the company has issued another BMW vehicle recall, covering all 3-series vehicles for model years 2000 to 2006.

“As a precaution, we just feel now that the right thing to do is just to bring them all in and replace the passenger-side air bag,” BMW spokesman Dave Buchko said. Around 574,000 of those defective Takata airbags are in the US, according to BMW’s estimates.

BMW is not aware of any accidents or injuries caused by a defective Takata airbags. Takata, however, has dealt with more than 12 million cars under vehicle recall in the past 5 years, due to defective Takata airbags. The company has even been part of two wrongful death lawsuit settlements after exploding airbags killed two people in 2009 model year Hondas.

The Japanese manufacturing company could face a $500 million charge, on top of a net loss for the year. Takata originally projected a 16 billion yen ($157 million) net profit for March 2015, the first time the company has been in the black since recovering from a 21.1 billion yen loss due to explosive air bag defects in March 2013.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said that it would launch an investigation into vehicles in the United States to determine if further vehicle recalls should be issued. Takata stated that the company believes it supplied defective airbags to BMW, Chrysler, and Ford. The company also said that representatives believe that excess moisture caused the airbags to explode, by seeping inside the inflators and destabilizing the propellant.

“We take this situation seriously, will strengthen our quality control, and make a concerted effort to prevent a recurrence,” the company said.

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.