Being involved in a truck accident is frightening and can cause horrible and serious injuries. One thing you don’t want to worry about is whether your airbags are going to deploy when needed. If they do deploy, are they going to spew pieces of metal at you? By now, you have probably heard about the Takata air bag recall. Approximately 19 million cars and trucks have been affected and 12 manufacturers are responsible. Almost 100 people have been injured with seven people perishing because of defective airbags.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s first action is to protect the U.S. citizens who are most vulnerable to this air bag issue. They have halted the manufacture of these airbags and are preparing for a massive recall unless Takata and the manufacturers of the vehicles can prove they are totally safe.
NHTSA’s first priority is to prevent more deaths and injuries from defective airbags. The agency has ordered Takata and an additional 12 auto manufacturers to fix this problem quickly and to put as a top priority fixing the vehicles that are at the greatest risk. Without the involvement of NHTSA, the recall would take at least two years. This is actually the first time that the agency has exercised its authority to accelerate the recall.
Having an accident that involves a semi-truck is never something you want to see happen. You have a general expectation that your car will not exacerbate the problem when the airbags deploy. You expect them to work as they should. Calling in a legal representative to give you guidance at this point can be a good idea.
Source: U.S. Department of Transortation, “Takata air bag update,” Mark Rosekind, Nov. 03, 2015
