Airbags have come a long way from when they first appeared in the 1980s. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says, “Although those older air bags saved thousands of lives, they deployed the same way for every occupant, causing injury and in some rare cases even death to children, (and) small adults.”
In 2004, advanced frontal airbags (AFA) began appearing in new models. These airbags are safer for front seat passengers, because they incorporate sophisticated technology that can determine when and how much to deploy.
Does Your Vehicle Have Takata Airbags?
Even though AFAs are safer than when airbags first hit the market, there is still room for improvement, because people can be seriously injured by the airbags.
Additionally, manufacturing errors can cause defects that make them hazardous to you and your occupants. Recently, eight automotive manufacturers recalled Takata brand airbags in their vehicles.
The Takata Corporation admitted to manufacturing errors that were causing the airbags to deploy fragments into the face of occupants.
BMW, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Toyota and Mitsubishi issued recalls for their model vehicles that were carrying the defective airbags made by Takata. Consumers had to take their vehicle to a dealership to have the airbags replaced with non-defective airbags.
If a defective product has caused you injury, contact an attorney today to discuss your case options. You may have a claim for compensation because of a manufacturer’s negligence.
Did You Know? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that an adult should keep a 10-inch minimum distance between the breastbone and the air bag cover for front seat passengers.
Source: http://www.nhtsa.gov/Driving+Safety/Occupant+Protection/Advanced+Frontal+Air+Bags
