ALERT
Airbags which are supposed to save you may injure or even kill with flying shrapnel-like parts…
Have you or a family member been injured by an exploding airbag? If you were hurt in an airbag detonation, Stillman & Friedland will work with top experts to help you get a fair settlement.
You may have a case because a major airbag manufacturer, Takata, found—through its own test results—that their product, used in many car models sold in the U.S., was defective. They then destroyed their own research evidence that these airbags were not only defective, but dangerous. (We have a couple of honest Takata employees to thank for this information.)
To add insult to injury, Takata took no action to recall these airbags—even though they had hard evidence that the inflating mechanism literally explodes on impact and inflation. The mechanism parts act like shrapnel, flung at high speed and at close range, and can injure or kill drivers and passengers.
If you have not (thankfully!) been injured, you should check to make sure that your vehicle is not an affected model. These airbags were installed in models dating from 2000-2007. In the event that your car is affected, you can take advantage of the recall to get the defective airbag replaced. Do not delay, be safe. If you have an accident before you have your vehicle checked, knowingly operating your vehicle with this problem may lower your chances of getting a fair settlement if you are injured.
How widespread is this problem? We don’t have all the facts in yet, but according to Business Insider’s latest report this week, we are finding out that even more bad airbags are on the road. Faulty Takata airbags were installed in at least 11 million vehicles sold in the U.S, up from the 7.8 million estimate we saw last week. According to the NHTSA, (the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) if you bought your car in any of these states or areas, you may be at risk: Florida, Puerto Rico, limited areas near the Gulf of Mexico in Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and Louisiana. Some U.S. island territories also sold cars with these dangerously defective airbags. If you bought your car out of state, you must check to see if your car is affected. Given the expanding number of cases, be on the safe side, even if you bought your car in Tennessee, check your VIN (vehicle i.d. number) on the NHTSA website.
So far, more than 5 million of these cars have been identified as Honda vehicles, and nearly 900,000 Toyotas. The total number of GM models which will also require a recall and repair to correct this problem is yet unknown and a number of other manufacturers also installed these defective Tanaka airbags.
How can you know if your car needs an airbag replacement? Check the list of car models at the end of this article, and also look up your Vehicle I.D. Number (VIN) on the NHTSA website. The VIN number is normally located at the bottom of your windshield frame outside the car, or it may be under the hood near the bottom of the windshield. If you bought your car used, the VIN check should tell you if any required recall fixes were made. NHTSA also lists current recalls on this page.
One more point to consider is opting to install an airbag deactivation switch if you have health risks which make the impact of an exploding airbag dangerous even if it operates correctly. The NHTSA advises:
“If you would like to get an on-off switch installed in your car, you need a copy of NHTSA’s brochure, ‘airbags and On-Off Switches: Information for an Informed Decision,’ and the accompanying form, Request for airbag On-Off Switch. You can find these on the NHTSA Web site, as well as at AAA clubs, new-car dealers and state motor vehicle departments. The NHTSA will send you a letter of authorization that you can take to a repair shop. (Before you bother with all this, you should check with your auto dealer or repair shop to see if an on-off switch is available for your car.)”
If you have a question, call the NHTSA Safety Hotline toll-free at 1-888-327-4236.
For more recall information and alerts from the NHTSA
- Receive recall alerts on Apple devices, Android devices, RSS feed, or Email.
- Information on Consumer Recalls and VIN Fact Sheet
The NHTSA also has this list of models currently known to have defective airbags:
- BMW: 627,615 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2000 – 2005 3 Series Sedan
2000 – 2006 3 Series Coupe
2000 – 2005 3 Series Sports Wagon
2000 – 2006 3 Series Convertible
2001 – 2006 M3 Coupe
2001 – 2006 M3 Convertible - Chrysler: 371,309 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2008 Dodge Ram 1500
2005 – 2008 Dodge Ram 2500
2006 – 2008 Dodge Ram 3500
2006 – 2008 Dodge Ram 4500
2008 – Dodge Ram 5500
2005 – 2008 Dodge Durango
2005 – 2008 Dodge Dakota
2005 – 2008 Chrysler 300
2007 – 2008 Chrysler Aspen - Ford: 58,669 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2004 – Ranger
2005 – 2006 GT
2005 – 2007 Mustang - General Motors: undetermined total number of potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2005 Pontiac Vibe
2005 – Saab 9-2X - Honda: 5,051,364 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2001 – 2007 Honda Accord)
2001 – 2002 Honda Accord
2001 – 2005 Honda Civic
2002 – 2006 Honda CR-V
2003 – 2011 Honda Element
2002 – 2004 Honda Odyssey
2003 – 2007 Honda Pilot
2006 – Honda Ridgeline
2003 – 2006 Acura MDX
2002 – 2003 Acura TL/CL
2005 – Acura RL - Mazda: 64,872 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2007 Mazda6
2006 – 2007 MazdaSpeed6
2004 – 2008 Mazda RX-8
2004 – 2005 MPV
2004 – B-Series Truck - Mitsubishi: 11,985 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2004 – 2005 Lancer
2006 – 2007 Raider - Nissan: 694,626 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2001 – 2003 Nissan Maxima
2001 – 2004 Nissan Pathfinder
2002 – 2004 Nissan Sentra
2001 – 2004 Infiniti I30/I35
2002 – 2003 Infiniti QX4
2003 – 2005 Infiniti FX35/FX45 - Subaru: 17,516 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2005 Baja
2003 – 2005 Legacy
2003 – 2005 Outback
2004 – 2005 Impreza - Toyota: 877,000 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2002 – 2005 Lexus SC
2002 – 2005 Toyota Corolla
2003 – 2005 Toyota Corolla Matrix
2002 – 2005 Toyota Sequoia
2003 – 2005 Toyota Tundra
From Stillmand and Friedland…..because we care!
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