Testing shows that 1 out of 371 Takata inflators rupture
Georgia residents may be aware of the massive recall of Takata airbags, which are installed in tens of millions of U.S. cars. The recall, which is the largest in American automotive history, was initiated because the inflators inside of the airbags can deploy with too much force in an accident and cause metal shards to fly into the vehicle’s passenger compartment. So far, the airbags have caused 10 deaths in the U.S.
The company was required to conduct testing of its airbag inflators by a consent agreement it signed in 2015. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Takata had tested 245,000 airbags by May 2016. Out of those, one inflator out of every 371 that were tested ruptured.
The NHTSA also indicated that states with high humidity levels have much higher rates of airbag ruptures than states with drier air. In humid locations, one out of every 172 airbags ruptured. States with very little humidity, such as Colorado, had rupture rates of close to zero. Only about one-third of the recalled airbags have been repaired. The NHTSA has given a deadline to Takata to recall all of the remaining airbag inflators that do not contain desiccants, which remove moisture, by 2019. However, some automakers are still installing the inflators without desiccants in new cars because of contracts that they have with Takata.
People who are injured by exploding airbags with the defective inflators might want to meet with a personal injury lawyer who has experience handling defective products cases. An attorney might help his or her client recover damages to fairly compensate that individual for the incurred losses.