Expanded Airbag Recall

Being touted as one of the largest automotive recalls in history, 33.8 million automobiles with Japanese Takata airbags are being recalled across the United States, Europe, and Japan.
In the initial recall, five people from the U.S. and one person from Malaysia died when faulty Takata airbags deployed so forcefully that plastic and metal shrapnel were discharged, killing those they were meant to protect. In the second phase of the recall, driver front and side Takata airbags were found to deploy abnormally or even rupture, leaving crash victims prone to serious and even fatal injuries. Honda, Toyota, and Nissan are among ten automakers that are recalling millions of their vehicles around the world with the defective airbags.

According to a spokesperson from The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Takata recently issued a statement saying that they are cooperating with government officials, but have yet to admit that their product is defective. According to the NHTSA, the recalls will take many years to complete due to the complexity and sheer number of vehicles involved in the recall. Automakers are facing enormous costs to fix the automobiles involved and customers will face many delays and inconveniences as they seek information and remediation on the defective airbags. The public has already begun voicing its safety concerns and frustrations surrounding the defective airbags as many dealerships are not yet informed on which vehicles are involved and how they will remedy the situation.

Automakers are assuring customers that they are taking the recall seriously and are working to ensure that their vehicles are safe. The Takata Corporation has been fined $14,000 per day by the NHTSA for failing to properly file documents relating to the defective product. The company denies these allegations while the monetary penalties continue to increase in excess of one million dollars.

Takata is having a tremendous amount of difficulty satisfying demands for the replacement airbag deflators. Over the past decade, automakers have recalled almost 40 million cars and trucks in the U.S. and around the world with faulty Takata airbags. An estimated 30 million motor vehicles in the U.S. have Takata airbags.