Defective Airbags Continue To Trigger Vehicle Recalls 

 Posted on February 13, 2023 in Car Accidents

Despite years of efforts to identify and recall vehicles with dangerously malfunctioning airbags, another series of recalls and ‘do not drive’ advisories have recently been issued. As with many previous recalls for airbag safety concerns, current recalls are for cars equipped with Takata brand airbags. These airbags fail up to 50 percent of the time, potentially ejecting metal fragments towards drivers that can kill or maim them forever. If you or a family member were injured by a defective airbag, an Illinois personal injury attorney may be able to help you recover compensation for your suffering. 

Which Vehicles Are Being Recalled? 

The recent recall focuses on older Acura and Honda models. Until the airbags have been fixed, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is warning people not to drive the cars at all. Airbag recall repairs are free for owners, but, due to the older models of these cars and the likelihood that they have been sold to multiple owners, it may be difficult to find and warn the current drivers of the roughly 8,000 Honda and Acura vehicles under recall, including: 

• 2001-2002 Civic

• 2001-2002 Accord 

• 2002 CR-V

• 2002 Pilot

• 2002 Odyssey

• 2002-2003 3.2 TL 

• 2003 3.2 CL 

In addition to these models, other recalls are in place for certain Kia, Volkswagen, and Land Rover models for defective airbags and other issues that can cause serious injury or death. 

What is the Risk of a Defective Airbag? 

As anyone who has been in a serious car accident knows, airbags need to work in a split second, often deploying before the driver has even realized they have crashed. While not a perfect way of preventing injuries in car accidents, effective airbags keep drivers’ and passengers’ heads and bodies from slamming into hard parts of the car, such as the steering column, dashboard, or window frame. 

An airbag may not work for a variety of reasons, including under- or over-inflating, deploying when it should not, exploding or expelling gasses or sharp pieces of metal, or simply not deploying at all. When a defective airbag goes off (or fails to go off), passengers and drivers are subjected to the full impact of a crash; injuries are more severe, and fatalities more likely. 

Contact a Winnebago County, IL Defective Airbag Attorney 

When you buy a car, you should be able to trust that the safety equipment in the car will actually keep you safe. Tragically, sometimes the safety equipment does the opposite. If you or someone you love has been injured or killed because of a defective airbag, contact a Rockford, IL defective airbag lawyer with Mannarino & Brasfield, A Division of Schwartz Injury Law at 815-215-7561. We have helped many clients suffering from serious long-term injuries recover compensation from the company or organization responsible. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation. 

Source: 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2023/02/06/car-recalls-honda-acura-volkswagen-range-rover/11193705002/