Many Are At Fault For Takata Airbag Recall Failures

There is plenty of blame to go around for the slow pace and delays of the Takata airbag recall

Friday, September 28, 2018 - Takata Corporation, based in Japan, manufactured the faulty Takata airbag. Under pressure from major automakers looking to cut costs, the company replaced the airbag's propellant chemical with ammonium nitrate, a relatively unstable chemical responsible for the airbag's explosions and deployment. Automakers are coming under increasing suspicion for their role in forcing Takata to replace the propellant chemical.

According to Reuters.com, "General Motors Co, Volkswagen AG, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, and Daimler AG knew of problems with Takata airbag inflators and should have moved faster to recall vehicles, according to company documents cited by owners suing the automakers." The Department of Justice has called out the NHTSA for its failure to act sooner and more forcefully in enforcing the Takata airbag recall. According to the DOJ, the NHTSA underestimated the scope and severity of the Takata airbag recall by limiting their investigations to only the 10,000 motor vehicles originally reported to be at risk by Takata. The recall list has since expanded to include approximately 50 million vehicles worldwide. In addition, the NHTSA has been accused of poor oversight. Abcnews.com reported, "A government audit released to Congress today said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's poor oversight of recalls may have left dangerous vehicles on the road for longer than necessary, including those affected by exploding Takata airbag inflators."

The Office of the Inspector General overseeing the Takata recall holds department heads at the NHTSA accountable for gross incompetence for the delays in fully implementing the Takata airbag recall and for not punishing automakers dragging their feet. The Department of Justice and the OIG are considering fining each affected automaker $1 million for each day they fail to fully comply with the recall order. Takata has already paid $1 billion in airbag-related fines to the US government.

Twenty-five people have been killed and hundreds seriously injured by exploding Takata airbags. The defective Takata airbag can explode and deploy due to environmental conditions such as high heat and humidity and with a force great enough to shatter the metal propellant container into razor-sharp shards. This shrapnel is instantaneously sent into the face and upper torso of the driver and passengers with a force similar to a hand grenade. Takata airbags deploy from relatively minor traffic accidents making the motorist's injuries look out of place. First responders often fail to make a connection between the crash and the airbag is the cause of injuries and deaths. Takata airbag drivers have reported having bled to death from a severed neck artery. Those fortunate to live have suffered gruesome facial lacerations, loss of an eye, and total or partial blindness.

The NHTSA expects the number of recalled vehicles to approach 75 million in 2019. That leaves 25 million vehicles currently untrackable using the NHTSA's website system.

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
• 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
• An Outline Of The Takata Airbag Scandal | 5/14/2018
• 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

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