Illinois residents who own vehicles with Takata airbag inflators may want to learn about a government investigation. On Sept. 21, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, announced that it was looking into the safety of 30 million vehicles that might have defective airbags.
Vehicles involved in the safety probe
The 30 million vehicles involved in this safety probe were manufactured by numerous automakers that include Honda, Ford, Nissan, Chrysler, and Subaru. The latest investigation follows millions of recalls of Takata airbag inflators that have been issued over the last 10 years. Worldwide, there have been over 100 million recalls involving Takata airbag inflators, which includes 67 million recalls in the United States.
The problem with Takata airbag inflators
The recall of Takata airbag inflators in the biggest auto safety recalls for defective products in history. Investigators have found that, in some accidents, malfunctioning Takata airbag inflators have caused metal fragments to be hurled at vehicle occupants when airbags inflate. The problem has led to 28 deaths and over 400 injuries.
NHTSA says there is no current safety risk
According to the NHTSA, there is no known safety risk posed by the vehicles that are currently being looked at. The agency said that there haven’t been any reports of injuries or deaths involving these vehicles’ airbags, and the public doesn’t need to take action.
Car part manufacturers can be held liable
Car part manufacturers can be held liable for malfunctioning airbags regardless of what led to the car accident they were involved in. If your car accident injuries were worsened by airbag defects in your vehicle, you may be able to file a product liability claim against the airbag manufacturer.