The motor industry was shaken by revelations of Takata’s dangerous airbags that have the potential to explode and shoot shards of metal into the cabin of a car. As one of the world’s largest producers of airbags, its inflatable devices are used in vehicles made by Honda, Mazda, Toyota, Subaru and BMW.
After at least 17 deaths reportedly linked to Takata airbags, and further reports of injuries caused as well, automakers have been forced to recall millions of cars and are looking to recover the costs of recalls and lawsuits from Takata.
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We’ve been covering the Takata airbag scandal for some time now, and news has emerged of another potential fatality that may be directly linked to the defective airbags.
A woman reportedly died from injuries sustained in a car collision in July this year, which involved a Honda Accord 2002 said to be fitted with the recalled Takata airbags. In the incident, another vehicle failed to yield right of way and collided with the victim, and although authorities have yet to confirm whether or not the cause of death is linked to an exploding Takata air bag inflater, it has not been ruled out.
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The Takata airbag recall is one of the biggest automotive recalls in history. The company started producing airbag inflators in the late 1990s, and around the year 2000, Takata discovered some of their airbag inflators weren’t functioning properly, and even found some had erupted during tests.
The first recorded incident reportedly happened in May 2004 where a driver’s side bag ruptured in a Honda Accord. It was not until half a decade later that Honda recalled more than 500,000 airbags for the defect to be rectified, and regulators didn’t start investigations until June 2014.
Now, the scale of the issue has resulted in the Japanese manufacturer filing for bankruptcy.
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There have been multiple calls to get Takata inflators out of vehicles and off the roads for several years, and after a crash where a Takata airbag reportedly nearly caused a woman’s death, these calls are getting louder.
Karina Dorado’s trachea was reportedly punctured by shrapnel from a Takata inflator. The crash, which happened on 3rd March 2017 in Las Vegas, should’ve been just a minor collision, but things escalated quickly. Ms Dorado was rushed into a trauma centre where surgeons removed pieces of the airbag device that had damaged her vocal cords.
She is still being treated for neck injuries.
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It seems the Takata airbag scandal is finally drawing to a close as the auto parts manufacturer, Takata Corp, has pleaded guilty to fraud in hiding the dangerous defect.
Based in Japan, the company found themselves in hot water as 16 deaths were connected to lethal Takata airbags that exploded inside car cabins. Whilst the majority of the fatalities were in the U.S., Takata airbags are used worldwide.
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Major auto part maker Takata is set to plead guilty and pay a $1 billion settlement in a plea agreement over an airbag fault scandal.
It has been called one of the “largest and most complex safety recall” cases in history, with defects linked to 16 deaths worldwide, and a further 100 injuries reported.
The airbag’s defect can lead to a sudden explosion, shooting sharp metal fragments into the cars cabin. A safety device that’s intended to save lives has ended up costing them instead.
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It hasn’t been a good few years for the automotive industry. First we had the Volkswagen (VW) scandal, and now Takata Corporation’s huge airbag disaster; which may cost the Japanese auto suppliers up to $1 billion (£812 million) in a U.S. criminal settlement.
Takata has been manufacturing airbags for several automakers since 1988, and reportedly holds 20% of the market. Automakers in the mix include Honda, BMW, Chrysler, Ford, Mazda, VW, Nissan and Toyota.
Since 2013, approximately 70 million vehicles in the U.S. have been, or will be, recalled due to the “high risk” of the defective, shrapnel-shooting airbags. The issue involves a defective inflater that may not open properly in the event of a crash, and may actually shoot metal fragments into drivers and/or passengers instead.
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Honda has issued a voluntary recall for 24,000 cars over concerns that its fuel supply pipes may not be connected properly, or may come apart, and may therefore leak fuel; and pose a risk of fire.
The two models involved in the recall are:
If the pipes disconnect, flow of fuel could be disrupted, leading to the engine stalling and therefore increasing the risk of an accident. On top of that, as with any fuel leak, there is a risk of fire as well.
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Japanese car brand Toyota are set to be recalling a total of 72,847 vehicles after concerns that overly sensitive resin bumpers may pose a safety risk to users. The recalls affect the newer 2016 and 2017 Tundra models.
The safety defect lies within the resin made step bumpers and resin reinforced brackets on the corners of the vehicle. Any impact made to the resin bumpers may not always reveal visible damage, but if stepped on, it could break way entirely or in part; risking injury to the user.
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Nissan has recalled a total of 152,554 vehicles after reports of defective airbag inflators causing injury and death. The airbag inflators may rupture: exploding and shooting metal fragments into the cabin of the car; potentially causing substantial harm.
This defect is susceptible to rupturing for a number of reasons:
Auto-parts maker Takata is reported to be nearing a settlement for supplying allegedly dangerous airbags that can explode and shoot shards of metal in to the vehicle cabin.
It has been revealed that Takata had been making the potentially defective airbags since the early 2000s, and any attempt to unearth their wrong doings have been covered up or misrepresented, according to media sources.
Some 19 automakers have recalled 42 million cars for repair work. It is unsure for now whether car owners will have to partially pay for the fix, or if Takata will have to pay the full fee. With their expected penalty fine being potentially as huge as $1 billion, this whole fiasco may put the company under serious financial pressure.
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There always seems to be a recall in the automotive industry!
One of the latest is yet another problem with airbags for Mazda vehicles, as Mazda North American Operations announces an airbag recall for its Mazda 6 model produced from 4th February 2008 to 3rd December 2009.
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