Auto Manufacturers Issue Recalls for Defective Airbags

Auto manufacturers Honda, Mazda and Nissan have all issued recalls for roughly 3 million vehicles requiring repairs for faulty airbag inflators designed by the Takata Corporation.

Nissan is calling the recalls, detailed on AutoBlog, “field actions,” while Mazda is referring to them as “special service programs.” Only Honda has used the term “recall” for the situation, which began over a year ago when the three automakers, along with Chrysler and Toyota, discovered the airbag system problem.

After two deaths and more than 40 airbag ruptures, analysts found that airbag inflators can explode instead of deploying upon impact because of the presence of a potentially defective propellant. This hampers or destroys the effectiveness of the airbag’s inflation and may cause injury to the occupants by sending shrapnel throughout the car.

Honda is recalling more than 1 million models of 10 makes for repair, while Nissan is recalling more than 200,000 and Mazda, nearly 15,000.

When the manufacturer is at fault

Although most auto accidents are caused by driver negligence, there are many situations in which defective parts, such as the Takata airbag that has so far contributed to the deaths of at least two people, cause serious accidents and injuries. In these cases, the vehicle manufacturer or seller may be liable for personal injuries and wrongful deaths. To move forward with a lawsuit, the following must usually be proved:

The driver was operating the vehicle as it was intended, rather than recklessly.
The vehicle was operating properly until the accident, and the driver was not ignoring issues with the defective part.
The defective part could be considered unacceptably dangerous.

If you sustained an injury or were involved in an accident caused by a faulty automotive part, contact a knowledgeable Honolulu car accident attorney.