Takata Airbag Recall
Stellantis, formerly Fiat Chrysler, is telling people to stop driving Dodge Magnum wagons, Dodge Challenger and Charger muscle cars, and Chrysler 300 sedans from the 2005 through 2010 model years. The cars have Takata airbags which caused 32 deaths worldwide, with 400 injuries in the United States and 23 deaths. The airbag inflators blew apart, killing three drivers in Stellantis vehicles in the past couple of months. Takata airbags use ammonium nitrate, which can become more explosive over time after being exposed to moisture and high temperatures.
The volatile potential of this dangerous malfunction made it the largest series of auto recalls in U.S. history, with 67 million Takata airbags recalled. Stellantis made 210 million attempts to reach out to owners of vehicles with recalled Takata airbags, yet millions have not been repaired. This series of mass deaths have been occurring from 2009 to the present day, sending Takata into bankruptcy.
In November of 2022, NHTSA once again urged all owners to check to see if their vehicles have an unrepaired Takata airbag recall. Drivers can go to https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls and key in their 17-digit vehicle identification number to see if they have any open recalls. Warm weather and even minor crashes have been causing the airbags to explode. Each day that passes, increases the dangerous risk of explosion, putting people at risk of injury or death.
As of June 2018, Takata pled guilty to the charge and agreed to pay a total of 1billion dollars in criminal penalties. According to The United States Department of Justice “Two restitution funds will be established: a $125 million fund for individuals who have been physically injured by Takata’s airbags and who have not already reached a settlement with the company, and a $850 million fund for the airbag recall and replacement costs incurred by auto manufacturers who were victims of Takata’s fraud scheme.”
Filing a Product Liability Claim
If you or a loved one have been injured due to an exploding Takata airbag inflator, you may qualify to participate in a class action lawsuit. Many product liability lawsuits are strict liability claims, meaning rather than proving the defendant was negligent, an attorney can make a case because the defendant made or sold a product that caused harm.
Contact a Product Liability Lawyer
Our attorneys at Rob Levine & Associates have experience and knowledge of product liability and class action lawsuits and are willing to assist you in the pursuit of justice. By suffering a personal injury at the hands of a recalled product, you may have the right to compensation through product liability. Contact Rob Levine & Associates for legal representation today at (617) 440-5287 for a free consultation.
