Defective Airbags

The personal injury attorneys at the law firm of Murray Guari have been achieving exceptional results for victims of airbag accidents throughout Florida for more than 20 years.

The airbag has been an incredible safety device and has undoubtedly saved thousands of lives since its invention; however, it can also be a killer. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that since 1990, air bag deployment has killed 227 people in low-severity crashes, including 76 drivers, 10 adult passengers, 119 children between the ages of 1 and 11, and 22 infants. What this means is that in these cases, air bags were the cause of their deaths and they would have lived if the air bag has not deployed.

Some of the problems with air bags include:

• Lack of airbags – the manufacturer’s failure to install airbags in the vehicle
• Failure of installed airbags to deploy or to deploy properly
• Airbag deployment in low severity crashes that cause injury or death

The latter is the most common form of airbag liability cases and can involve a defect in the airbag design, a defect in the manufacture of the airbag, or the manufacturer’s failure to include appropriate instructions or warnings regarding the use of the airbag. These can cause, for example, the driver or passenger to fail to use their seat belts or to fail to position themselves appropriately for a possible airbag deployment.

Takata Airbag Defects & Recalls

A major recent recall involves a major parts supplier Takata Corp. About 17 million vehicles, made by a dozen auto makers, have been recalled by the U.S. Government due to the potential dangers posed by Takata airbags. The Takata airbags can explode with excessive force and kill or seriously injure the front seat occupants of affected vehicles. The defect is linked to the airbag’s inflator systems, which can shoot metal fragments from the devices into the car like shrapnel. Takata airbags were installed in Toyota, Honda, Mazda, BMW, Nissan and General Motor models between 2002 and 2008.

If you or a loved one has been a victim on an airbag injury or believe defective airbags may have played a role in an injury, please contact us to learn more about your legal rights.