Defective Airbags

Written by Mark Atlee

Airbags, when properly working, save lives and reduce injuries to occupants during accidents. They represent a substantial step forward in car safety and safety to drivers and passengers. Airbags are meant to provide enhanced protection to automobile occupants, yet when they fail to deploy or deploy incorrectly, the results can be catastrophic. If during an accident, your vehicle’s airbag fails to deploy, and you or a loved one suffer a serious injury, it may be due to a defective airbag. If you or a loved one strike the steering wheel, dashboard, front or side pillar, or something outside of the vehicle, it may also be due to a defective airbag. In addition, if you are involved in a moderate-severity impact and suffer serious head, upper extremity, or lower extremity orthopedic injuries, these injuries may be due to a defective airbag.

Defective airbag examples:

  • Failure to Deploy – Frontal and Side
  • Unexpected Deployment
  • Early or Late Deployment
  • Early Deflation
  • Ruptured or Torn Airbag
  • Inflation with Excessive Force
  • Shattering or Explosion of Airbag

If an airbag is defective for any of these reasons, it can place a vehicle occupant in grave danger and result in catastrophic injuries, including occupant ejection, head injuries, neck/spinal cord injuries, internal injuries, eye injuries, and traumatic orthopedic injuries.

Defective Airbag Recalls:

There have been many recalls from manufacturers over the last several years for defective airbags, including the following:

  • Takata
  • Ford
  • Toyota
  • GM
  • BMW
  • Acura
  • Honda

This list names only some of the manufacturers that have issued recalls recently; over the years, nearly every car manufacturer has recalled vehicles. If you believe that you may have been injured due to a defective airbag, you can check here to see if your vehicle’s airbags were subject to a recall: https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls. If you believe that you or a loved one was injured as a result of a defective airbag, contact the lawyers at Atlee Hall so they can thoroughly investigate the accident.