Airbag Defects Allegedly Causing Injuries by Shooting Debris

Earlier this month, the Florida police opened an investigation into an apparent stabbing of a woman.  Hien Tran was  found alone in her 2001 Honda Accord with neck lacerations following an accident.  The investigation took a strange twist when investigators discovered the alleged source of her injuries.  Investigators believe that a defective airbag exploded and projected metal debris at Ms. Tran which caused her injuries.

The airbags involved in Ms. Tran’s accident were manufactured by a Japanese company named Takata.  Takata’s air bags have been installed in millions of cars manufactured by numerous automakers, including Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, and BMW.  Investigators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are looking into whether the Takata airbags produced from 2001 to 2007 may have used a faulty propellant which can cause airbags to deploy with excessive force and project metal and plastic debris at the vehicle’s occupants.  This problem can apparently exacerbated in places like Florida with high humidity.

Although Ms. Tran’s case is garnering a lot of national attention, the problem with the Takata airbags has been a bit of an ongoing saga.  There were two fatalities that occurred in 2009, which are alleged to be related to faulty Takata airbags.  A third purportedly related death occurred in 2013.  In 2008, Honda began recalling certain vehicles with Takata air bags and has been gradually expanding the scope of the recall.  Apparently, Ms. Tran’s vehicle was one of those covered by the recall but had not been repaired.  According to reports, she may not have had notice of the recall because she bought the vehicle second hand.

The NTSHA has issued an “act immediately” warning to owners of affected vehicles to get their airbags fixed and go for Oil Change.  However, there may not be enough parts to immediately replace or repair the airbags in the millions of affected vehicles.  Some automakers concerned are addressing the issue first in warm and high humidity regions , but it will likely take some time before all the problematic equipment is repaired or replaced.

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