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In May of 2015, several major car manufacturers, including Honda, Toyota, Lexus, and Nissan, collectively announced that they would be instituting a worldwide vehicle recall that is being called the largest in history. This recall included millions of vehicles, all of which had been manufactured with airbags made by the Takata Corporation, the world’s fourth-largest airbag manufacturing company.
The recalled vehicles were manufactured using a defective inflation mechanism that can explode on impact and cause serious injuries to drivers.
The initial May recall included 38 million vehicles worldwide, mainly those produced by Honda, Toyota, and Nissan. At the time, no recall in the history of the auto industry had ever affected such a huge amount of vehicles. However, new information has lead these manufacturers to announce a new round of recalls on unsafe vehicles containing Takata airbags, and the number of affected vehicles has now climbed even higher than before.
In June of 2015, Honda and Toyota both expanded the scope of the initial recall, adding 4.5 million and 1.4 million more cars and trucks, respectively, to the massive list of affected vehicles. Since the start of the recall, the number of affected vehicles has ballooned to 57.5 million worldwide and 33.8 million in the U.S alone.
New makes and models that Honda and Toyota have added to their recall include:
Takata airbags are designed with a faulty inflation mechanism that poses a serious risk to drivers. This mechanism, which is designed to release a burst of gas on impact that will fill the airbag and protect the driver from serious injury, has actually been found to explode and release dangerous shrapnel in the faces of motorists.
In a few particularly gruesome cases, Police and emergency responders reported finding victims of auto accidents that appeared to have been “shot or stabbed in the face.” Thus far, it is believed that at least eight people have been killed and 100 more have been seriously injured by defective Takata airbag inflation mechanisms.
Consumers have been advised to visit this website and search for their vehicle by its Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to see if it has been affected by this latest round of recalls. Cars manufactured with Takata airbags may be extremely dangerous, and it is crucially important that all motorists check this database to ensure that their vehicles are safe to drive.
The Takata Corporation and major auto manufacturers are still dealing with the fallout of this massive vehicle recall, and it could be years before all of the affected vehicles receive the necessary attention to fix this massive and extremely dangerous product defect. In this case, the oversight and negligent behavior of one company has put millions of consumers at risk.
When manufacturers engage in this type of reckless and negligent behavior that causes serious harm and injury to their customers, they must be held accountable for their actions. At Graves McLain, Tulsa Personal Injury and Product Liability law firm, our attorneys have substantial experience advocating for the rights of consumers and holding corporations responsible for manufacturing defective products.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured by an unsafe or defective product, call Graves McLain right away at 918-359-6600. When you call, you will receive a FREE, confidential, and no-obligation consultation with one of our experienced Tulsa Product Liability and Personal Injury lawyers. Your case and your injuries are serious. At Graves McLain, we treat them that way.
Graves McLain – Serious Lawyers for Serious Injuries
