One of the biggest news of 2014 is the nationwide recall of numerous car dealers of various brands and make of cars due to the defective airbags manufactured by Takata Corporation, a Japan-based manufacturer of car parts. Although since 2014, dealers have continuously recalled and repaired these defective airbags, the numbers in the list of car brands and makes that needs to be recalled has also continued to rise. The numbers of cars affected by the defective Takata airbags are in the tens of millions. And yes, until now, these defective airbags are still causing injuries and in some cases, even death.

Why are the Takata airbags defective?

Airbags in the front of the car, both in the driver and passenger sides, are supposed to deploy when the car is in a frontal or near-frontal car crashes or accident. The extent of these accidents should be “moderate to severe” or something that would suggest that the car has hit a solid wall while moving at 8 miles/hour or faster. In the case of the Takata, the airbags deployed despite not being in an accident and sent shrapnel flying into the interior of the cars that caused injuries to individuals in some cases. Apparently, the reason for this sudden deployment is because moisture seeped into the interior of the airbag and it triggered the airbag to deploy. The airbag is ammonium nitrate-based and has no moisture absorbent capabilities. The moisture can develop when the car, and therefore the airbag as well, is continuously exposed to hot environment.

What can you do?

If you are an owner of the cars that was listed as part of the recall due to the defective airbags, it is would be best for you to go to your dealer and make sure that your car gets checked to see if it has indeed a defective airbag and make sure that it get replaced by an airbag that works properly.

On the other hand, if you are one of those whose defective airbags has caused you injuries or your loved ones have died due to the defective airbag then you have the option of filing a lawsuit against the people or companies at fault that resulted to your injury or loved one’s death. You can do this through filing for a personal injuries claim or strict liability. You can read some info here regarding auto defects. If you decide to file a lawsuit, the first thing that you should do is to contact a lawyer that can help you decide which case is more appropriate to pursue and the steps you must take to move forward with the lawsuit. Do not forget to keep your medical reports and reports from the police, if any is available, because these papers can be used as evidence.

If you got injured or got in an accident because of a faulty airbag or some other reason completely unrelated to the Takata defective airbag recalls, you should still contact a lawyer as long as you can ascertain that your injury is due to the negligence of the manufacturer or dealer of the car.