As we all know, there are many risks associated with driving or riding in a car. You have the risk of distracted drivers not paying attention 
and causing an accident, or the risk of a tire explosion or an animal darting into traffic. The best thing we can do as drivers is mitigate the risks by taking safety precautions. Unfortunately, some folks have experienced the risk and consequences of a trusted safety feature malfunction. As car owners, we all have a duty to protect ourselves and our passengers by paying attention to all auto safety recalls, including the critical airbag recalls.
Manufacturers in Airbag Recalls
You may remember hearing about the Takata airbag recalls in recent years. Unfortunately, this massive problem is still an ongoing issue for vehicle owners. In a January report by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are still an estimated 37 million vehicles under recall due to defective Takata airbags. Futhermore, the NHTSA estimates that by December 2019 an additional 65-70 million airbags will be added to the recall. But, Takata’s airbags aren’t the only problem.
According to a recently published article in the Associated Press, another airbag company that has been under investigation of the NHTSA since 2015 is ARC Automotive of Tennessee. The article states that although numerous injuries have been reported, there has been only one death associated to the ARC’s airbags, which was an incident that occurred in 2016 when a Canadian woman was killed by shrapnel from an inflator in the Hyundai that she was driving. Still, ARC airbags are an ongoing serious issue with the most recent ARC airbag inflator injury being reported as having occurred in September 2017 to the driver of a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu.
Protect Yourself by Registering for Airbag Recall Alerts
It’s essential to pay attention to safety recalls related to our vehicles. The difference between a safe airbag and a faulty airbag could be the life of someone you love. Always follow-up with your manufacturer if a feature on your car has been recalled. If you want to check on the status of your specific vehicle, go to the NHTSA website and you can enter your car’s VIN number to see any outstanding recalls. Click here for the website.
What to do if You’re Injured by an Airbag or Faulty Equipment
There are several instances in which you may be able to bring a product liability case. For example, the manufacturer’s ability to foresee the danger of a product may be enough to bring about a product liability and/or personal injury lawsuit against a company. While helping the victims to recover damages and pay for expenses like medical care, product liability and personal injury lawsuits also force manufacturers to consider the real costs of injuring consumers with faulty equipment.
These cases are extremely complex and require the expertise of a qualified personal injury attorney, especially when considering you are likely going up against the resources of a large corporation. Our firm has made substantial recoveries for our clients in many different types of personal injury and product liability cases.
In the event that you are injured by a faulty feature on your car or any poorly designed or manufactured product, you should contact a personal injury attorney. We invite you to call our office for a one-time complimentary consultation regarding your case. We can be reached at (305) 662-6178
References:
Krisher, T., & Krisher, T. (2019, February 20). Driver hurt by airbag shrapnel as investigation drags on. Retrieved from https://miamiherald.com/news/business/article226517690.html
Lynn.greenbauer.ctr@dot.gov. (2018, December 21). Takata Recall Spotlight. Retrieved February 22, 2019, from https://nhtsa.gov/equipment/takata-recall-spotlight
Part 573 Safety Recall Report(Rep.). (2019, January 31). Retrieved February 22, 2019, from NHTSA website: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2019/RCLRPT-19V019-2023.PDF
