An Outline Of The Takata Airbag Scandal

There are many different facets of the Takata airbag scandal from recalls, injuries, and deaths, to bankruptcy and lawsuits against the company

Monday, May 14, 2018 - No one expects that a consumer product whose sole purpose is to save lives to itself cause serious injury and deaths but that is in fact what has happened. In a contemptuous betrayal of public trust to cut costs and increase profits, Takata changed the propellant chemical that explodes to deploy the airbag from the stable Tetrazole, to the inexpensive, more volatile ammonium nitrate. Takata executive covered up the fact that the chemical could ignite unexpectedly and continued to sell the product years. The following is an outline of the major events surrounding the Takata airbag scandal.

Largest Motor Vehicle Recall in History

Takata airbags were installed in tens of millions of motor vehicles from many different countries and are now the subject of the largest recall in US automotive history covering over 50 million vehicles worldwide. An automobile manufactured between the years 2002 and 2015 by, in alphabetical order, Ford, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Toyota, Tesla, BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Mazda, Subaru, Jaguar-Land Rover, McLaren, and Volkswagen. Toyota, Ford, and Honda are included in the recall. The 50 million-vehicle Takata airbag recall affects nearly every American family. When all is said and done, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates the recall to have included around 70 million motor vehicles.

Takata Files For Bankruptcy

In response to the overwhelming debts and a near complete collapse in their sales, Takata Inc. was forced into bankruptcy. According to Reuters, In January of 2018, a US bankruptcy judge approved a 90-day moratorium on lawsuits against the company so that the company could get their financial affairs in order. The moratorium applied to only Hawaii, New Mexico, and the Virgin Islands and does not affect the other states where lawsuits are free to advance to trial. Before the bankruptcy, Takata was forced by the US Department of Justice to pay a $1 billion dollar fine to aid automobile companies to replace the remaining airbags.

Takata Inc. Sold to the Chinese

Takata has recently been sold to Key Safety Systems of China, a supplier of auto safety parts for $1.6 billion. Key Safety intends to reorganize and integrate operations from the airbag manufacturer.

Takata Executive Indicted for Fraud

Three top executives in the Takata airbag scandal have been indicted and charged with tampering with test data that proved over a decade ago that the ammonium nitrate igniter mechanism that they had switched to could explode and cause serious injuries to the occupants of the vehicle.

Injuries and Death From Exploding Airbags

Takata airbags deployment cartridges have been proven to explode due to changes in environmental conditions due to a faulty ammonium nitrate airbag inflator mechanism. To date over 200 people have been injured and 22 people have been killed by the metal shrapnel from defective Takata airbags. The typical injuries suffered by Takata airbag victims include losing an eye to total blindness, broken teeth, facial lacerations and facial bone fractures, head trauma, brain injuries, whiplash, and concussions, to name but a few.

Takata Airbag Lawyer

Victims of Takata negligence are hiring a Takata airbag lawyer to assist them in filing claims against Takata Inc., for reimbursement of their medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering and loss of consortium when family members have also suffered.

More Recent Takata Airbag Lawsuit News:

• Automakers Are Starting to Pay Cash Incentives To Those Who Refer Takata Airbag Repair Business | 3/11/2019
• Used Car Dealerships Are Responsible For The Millions of Vehicles That Have Not Complied With The Takata Airbag Recall | 3/8/2019
• Takata Executives Sold Shares Anticipating Bankruptcy Filing | 3/4/2019
• The NHTSA Recommends Airbag On/Off Switches in Some Vehicles | 2/28/2019
• More Reasons The Takata Airbag Recall is Not Succeeding | 2/24/2019
• Many Obstacles Stand In The Way of Effectively Replacing The Takata Airbag | 2/18/2019
• Millions of More Vehicles Were Added to the Takata Airbag Recall in February 2019 | 2/12/2019
• Takata Airbag Recall's Mixed Results | 2/5/2019
• 2018 and 2019 Hondas Are The Most At Risk For Airbag Theft | 1/31/2019
• January 2019 Kicks Off Another Expansion of the Takata Airbag Recall | 1/24/2019
• Automaker May Fail to Take Takata Airbag Recall Seriously | 1/21/2019
• General Motors Was Told That Takata Airbags Were Dangerous as Early as 1999 | 1/17/2019
• The Takata Airbag Recall Is Being Largely Ignored by Motor Vehicle Owners Ten Year In | 1/11/2019
• Ford Expands The Number of Vehicles Subject to the Takata Airbag Recall | 1/8/2019
• Toyota Offers Gift Card For Referring Takata Airbag Replacement Candidates | 1/2/2019
• General Motors Claims Their Takata Airbags Will Not Hurt You | 12/6/2018
• Add Mercedes-Benz to the Takata Airbag Recall That Continues To Be Ignored by Millions of Drivers | 12/3/2018
• Takata Airbag Disposal Presents Enoumous Challenge | 11/28/2018
• General Motors is Questioning The Takata Airbag Recall | 10/31/2018
• Takata Airbag Recall is Ever-Expanding | 10/26/2018
• Airbag Demand Spawns a New Criminal Enterprise | 10/16/2018
• Motor Vehicle Airbag Theft Increased 400 Percent in 2017 | 10/10/2018
• Countries With Hot Humid Climates Are in Great Risk For Takata Airbag Malfunctions | 10/3/2018
• Many Are At Fault For Takata Airbag Recall Failures | 9/28/2018
• An Urgent Motor Vehicle Recall Announcement To Owners of 2006 Ford Ranger and Mazda B-Series Pickups | 9/27/2018
• Auto Industry Whistle Blowers Can Save Lives | 9/26/2018
• Drivers May Be Ticketed For Failing To Comply With Motor Vehicle Recalls | 9/25/2018
• Congress Considering Automobile Safety Recall Bill | 9/22/2018
• The Twenty-Fifth Takata Airbag Death Has Been Reported | 9/19/2018
• Executives At Takata And The Major Automakers Knew Ammonium Nitrate Was Dangerous | 9/17/2018
• Recalling and Replacing All Takata Airbags MayTake Decades | 9/11/2018
• The NHTSA Is Under Fire For Mishandling The Takata Airbag Recall | 8/31/2018
• Highlights of The Takata Airbag Recall | 8/27/2018
• An Urgent Takata Airbag Recall Announcement To Owners of the 2006 Ford Ranger Pickup | 8/22/2018
• Takata's Airbag Recall is Expanding Worldwide | 8/16/2018
• Takata Airbag Deaths May be Underestimated | 8/13/2018
• Major Automakers May Have Played a Role in Choosing Takata Airbag Propellant Chemical | 8/9/2018
• Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Are Urged to Use Facebook to Contact Takata Airbag-Related Vehicle Owners | 8/7/2018
• Using Facebook and Twitter to Get The Word Out About Exploding Takata Airbags and the Takata Recall | 8/3/2018
• Takata Executives Could Have Prevented 24 Deaths Yet Did Nothing | 7/31/2018
• The Department of Justice Holds the NHTSA Responsible for the Slow Pace of Takata Airbag Recalls | 7/27/2018
• Class Action Lawsuits Force Automakers to Take Greater Recall Measures | 7/25/2018
• Certain Cars and Trucks At Extreme Risk in Takata Airbag Recall | 7/23/2018
• South Floridians Need to Have Their Vehicle's Airbags Replaced | 7/20/2018
• Lawsuits Accuse Major Automobile Manufacturers of Takata Airbag Fraud | 7/18/2018
• Takata Airbag Replacement Has Reached International Proportions | 7/16/2018
• Mazda Issues Emergency Takata Airbags Vehicle Recall | 7/11/2018
• A Whistleblower Courage Can Save Lives | 7/6/2018
• Takata Airbag Recall Obstacles | 6/30/2018
• Post A Takata Airbag Warning to Your Facebook Page | 6/27/2018
• Automakers Knew of Defective Takata Airbags Back in 2003 | 6/25/2018
• Floridians Have The Highest Risk From Exploding Takata Airbags | 6/20/2018
• Why You Should Check The Takata Airbag Recall Status Of Your Vehicle | 6/14/2018
• Concern Growing For Takata Airbag Recall Compliance | 6/12/2018
• Takata Airbag Vehicle Recall Going Too Slowly For Some | 6/6/2018
• Takata Employee Whistle Blower Triggers Vehicle Recall | 5/30/2018
• The Takata Airbag Recall May Be Failing | 5/28/2018
• Check to See if Your Vehicle is Being Recalled | 5/22/2018
• The Takata Airbag Recall is Taking Longer Than Expected | 5/17/2018
• The Ongoing Takata Airbag Recall | 5/9/2018
• Takata Airbags Auto Recall Update May 2018 | 5/6/2018
• Defective Takata Airbags Prompt a Recall and Lawsuits | 5/2/2018
• What Does The Takata Bankruptcy Mean For Consumers | 4/24/2018
• Takata Defective Airbag Vehicle Recall Update | 4/10/2018
• Takata Airbag Victims Could Be Thousands More Than Reported | 4/5/2018
• Takata Airbag Recall Update | 4/2/2018
• Takata Executives Knew of the Defective Airbags | 3/29/2018
• Takata Corporation Airbag Lawsuits | 3/26/2018
• Takata Airbag Injuries | 3/21/2018
• The Defective Takata Airbag | 3/13/2018
• A Summary of the Takata Airbag Recall | 3/5/2018
• Takata Class Action Lawsuits Continue to Grow | 6/26/2017
• Exploding Takata Airbag Canisters Causes Injuries and Death | 6/19/2017
• Takata Airbag Malfunction and Who Can Sue | 6/12/2017
• Takata Executives Indicted for Falsifying or Discarding the Damaging Information | 6/5/2017

No-Cost, No-Obligation Takata Airbag Lawsuit Case Review

Onder, Shelton, O'Leary & Peterson, LLC is a St. Louis personal injury law firm handling serious injury and death claims across the country. Its mission is the pursuit of justice, no matter how complex the case or strenuous the effort. Onder, Shelton, O'Leary & Peterson has represented clients throughout the United States in pharmaceutical and medical device litigation such as Pradaxa, Lexapro and Yasmin/Yaz, where the firm's attorneys held significant leadership roles in the litigation, as well as Actos, DePuy, Risperdal and others. The Onder Law Firm has won more than $300 million in four talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuits in St. Louis. Law firms throughout the nation often seek its experience and expertise on complex litigation.