Problems with Takata Corp. air bags have been known about since 2004. But it wasn’t until 2008 that the first recall to replace the defective products was issued and that was only for 4,000 Honda-made vehicles.
As of this week, the number of affected vehicles now adds up to about 24 million. The number of automakers making recalls stands at 14. There are so many vehicles now in need of replacement air bags that manufacturers can’t meet the demand. What that means is that tens of millions of vehicles with potentially life-threatening devices remain on the roads of the United States — including here in Texas.
We doubt there are many readers who don’t know about the hazard these defective products present to the motoring public. The problem is that in some of the units, the chemical used to inflate the bags in a crash has become unstable. When they go off, they can do so with such force that shards of the metal container can go flying through the passenger compartment of the vehicle.
At least 10 people have been killed by the shrapnel — nine of the fatalities happened in the United States. Injuries to more than 100 other individuals are blamed on the defect.
In the latest action, federal regulators announced that Honda has expanded the recall on Honda and Acura branded units by more than 2.2 million. That brings the total of Honda-made vehicles alone to more than 8.5 million.
Product liability cases like this are complex to handle and require a level of skill that only comes with experience. If you’ve been injured due to flawed air bags or lost a loved one, you may have questions about whether you have a case. Contacting a qualified attorney is the way to get those questions answered.
