When purchasing an automobile, Montana residents will function under the belief that it is safe and the manufacturer has taken steps to ensure that all the equipment is free of an automobile design defect or a defective auto part. However, as recent history has shown, the safety equipment installed in the vehicle does not always meet the necessary standards for safety. The number of recalls due to auto defects is rising and has shown no signs of slowing down. When there is an accident due to a vehicle not functioning properly or the safety equipment injures a passenger, having legal assistance to consider a case is imperative.
The embattled Japanese company Takata has added 2.7 million airbags to its ongoing recall. The news has been saturated with issues surrounding Takata-manufactured airbags and the latest issue was posted on the website of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Vehicles from Nissan, Mazda and Ford are part of this latest problem. Testing from the company found that there is a chemical drying agent that is used for the airbag inflators that might lead to a rupture. This can cause shrapnel to be sent into the passenger compartment.
There have more than a dozen deaths because of their airbags all over the world and tens of millions of vehicles have been recalled. Recently, Honda stated that there was a fatality after an airbag exploded. In the U.S., at least 12 people are known to have died due to Takata airbags. The production years for the airbags that are part of this latest recall are from 2005 to 2012. The vehicles involved are the Nissan Versa hatchback and sedan and the Mazda B-series pickups. Ford has not announced which of its vehicles will be recalled as they examine the matter.
When driving a vehicle, the airbag and other safety features are meant to keep the driver and passengers protected when there is a crash. As the seemingly endless number of recalls from Takata has shown, that is only as effective as the equipment itself. People who were injured or lost a loved one after a crash might not even be aware that it was not the crash itself that led to the injury, but the vehicle and a defective auto part. It is vital that a case be fully investigated with the injured party's interests in mind. For help, speaking to an attorney experienced in automobile design defect cases is imperative.
