Takata Recall Expands by Millions of Vehicles

The recent recalls of Takata airbags have massively expanded once again. Honda, Nissan, Toyota and Diahatsu announced an addition of 11.5 million vehicles that are equipped with defective airbags.

The initial recalls for Takata airbags began in 2008 and have now ballooned to include 35 million vehicles globally, 20 million of which are located in the United States.

The new wave of recalled vehicles adds to the challenge facing automakers and Takata Corp., which have struggled to keep pace with the demand for replacement parts.

In the latest recall, front passenger and driver-side airbags can violently erupt and deploy abnormally, sending shrapnel throughout the vehicle. Thus far, six deaths and more than 100 injuries have occurred because of the faulty airbags. To date, no injuries have been linked to last weeks recalls.

Automakers are calling this recall precautionary and investigative until they are able to accurately identify the cause of the problem.

Because Takata has declined to accept fault for the defects, automakers have had to issue their own recalls and have conducted independent investigations to determine the cause of the eruptions.

The common underlying problem found in the investigations was that the casings for the inflators were not sealed airtight. That defect could allow moisture to seep into the inflator and potentially destabilize the explosive propellant used to deploy the airbag. The cause of this, however, remains unclear.

As a precaution, Honda has stated that it is replacing inflators made within a certain time frame.

U.S. authorities have complained that Takata, one of the worlds largest manufacturers of automotive safety features, is not moving fast enough to solve this potentially deadly problem. In an effort to speed up their efforts, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is fining Takata $14,000 per day until a solution is presented.

Have you been injured by a Takata airbag?

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If you or a loved one have been injured as a result of a Takata airbag malfunction, call our team of experienced personal injury attorneys today for a free consultation.

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