Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, GM, Honda, Nissan, Mazda, BMW, Chrysler, and Other Cars and Trucks Recalled Due to Faulty Airbags

Nearly 70 million vehicles, mostly manufactured prior to 2009, have been recalled worldwide due to defective and dangerous airbags manufactured by Japan-based Takata Corporation. To date, this is the largest automotive recall in U.S. history. At least nineteen deaths worldwide have been linked to the Takata airbag defects, with thirteen of those deaths occurring in the United States.

2017 Settlement Valued at $741m Gets Final Court Approval

In November of 2017, a Florida federal judge granted final approval to an aggregate settlement of $741 million with Toyota, BMW, Subaru and Mazda over claims relating to vehicles containing the dangerous and defective Takata airbags. Infamous for causing the largest recall in U.S. auto safety history, the defective Takata airbags contain a propellant that can cause the airbag to explode upon impact in an accident, shooting out metal debris from the casing towards drivers and passengers. Numerous lawsuits charge that the Japan-based airbag manufacturer knew of the defects in its product a decade ago, after conducting secret tests that showed dangerous airbag flaws. But rather than alert federal safety regulators to these risks, Takata allegedly ordered its engineers to delete test data.

Earlier Case Developments

On May 13, 2015, Toyota Motor Corp, Nissan Motor Co, and Honda Motor Co Ltd significantly expanded their global recall of vehicles equipped with a defective airbag manufactured by Takata. The three major Japan automakers alone recalled over 6.5 million vehicles that were affected by the defect.

These airbags were installed in U.S. and foreign made cars and pickup trucks including vehicles made by Ford, Mercedes-Benz, GM, Chrysler, Honda, Nissan, Mazda, and BMW.

List of Recalled Takata Airbags

Problems with Takata air bag inflators have led to recalls of approximately 34 million vehicles worldwide. You can visit SaferCar.gov for the full list of vehicles affected by the Takata airbag recall.

Lieff Cabraser has successfully represented persons nationwide injured in accidents due to unsafe cars and components of cars that are defective, obtaining significant recoveries for our clients. Our law firm has been recognized by U.S. News and Best Lawyers and the National Law Journal as one of the top plaintiffs’ law firms in the nation.

Takata Airbag Problems and Airbag Recall Lawsuits

The recalled Takata airbags contain a dangerous propellant that can cause the airbag to explode, shooting metal casing debris towards drivers and passengers. The complaints charge that Takata knew of defects in its airbags long before the first recalls and that the auto manufacturers also knew or should have known that the airbags were dangerous and even lethal. Litigation is ongoing.