Injury Lawyer Blog
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and American Honda Motor Co. (Honda) have confirmed that another tragic death has occurred due to the Takata airbag found in the vehicle of the deceased. Overall, this is the 11th confirmed death of an individual due to Takata airbag complications. Together with the 11 confirmed deaths in the United States are the at least five deaths worldwide and the more than 100 injuries in total caused by Takata airbags.
According to reports, the 50-year-old woman from California perished due the injuries that she sustained from her recalled Takata airbag inflator in her 2001 Honda Civic. The event occurred in Riverside County, California on September 30th. The woman was involved in a crash which triggered the the driver-side Takata airbag inflator to rupture, ultimately leading to her fatal injuries.
The deceased’s vehicle was among the almost 315,000 Honda and Acura models from 2001-2003 that the NHTSA made it a point to specifically warn individuals about only a few months ago. In that June announcement, the NHSTA warned owners of those recalled vehicles of the “grave danger” that the Takata airbags posed to drivers. Also the recalled vehicles were at “substantially higher risk” of having the metal canister located in the the Takata airbag to rupture, which results in varying amounts of shrapnel and debris to be discharged throughout the interior of the vehicle after the Takata airbag has been deployed. According to the NHSTA, when a crash occurs the the chances of the inflator rupturing is as much as 50 percent when Takata airbags are used.
The original recall of the 2001-2003 Honda and Acura vehicles was put into place in 2008. Along with the recall, there were at least 20 warnings, cautions and notices sent to the registered owner of the vehicles with recalls.
The vehicles that have been determined to be at high-risk, due to Takata airbag recall complications, are:
- 2001-2002 Honda Civic
- 2001-2002 Honda Accord
- 2002-2003 Acura 3.2TL
- 2002 Honda CR-V
- 2002 Honda Odyssey
- 2003 Acura 3.2CL
- 2003 Honda Pilot
All individuals that have received a recall notice regarding their Takata airbag must act quickly to certify that the proper procedures are put into place to ensure their own, as well as their passenger’s safety.
If you have been injured by defective Takata airbags or have received any other treatment as a result of an accident involving these airbags, please contact us at 616-227-8444 or via our web page at www.naumeslaw.com.