Car Accident Injuries Caused by Defective Airbags

Automobiles today are safer than ever before. However, if airbags and other safety features are not manufactured, installed, or used correctly, serious injuries can easily occur.

Faulty airbags and defective safety features are obviously extremely dangerous and can lead to catastrophic injury—or even death. The unfortunate truth is that these types of claims can be incredibly complex and expensive to bring. Not only will proving your case require an immediate independent investigation, but also an experienced attorney who can advocate on your behalf and get you the money you deserve.

Damages related to a car accident (e.g., medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, property damage, etc.) can reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. When it comes to any serious accident, having an experienced and knowledgeable attorney in your corner is paramount.

Causes of Airbag Failure Injuries

Airbags have become an integral standard safety feature in modern vehicles. In fact, between 1987 and 2017, front airbags alone have saved an estimated 50,457 lives. Unfortunately, like anything else, they’re not entirely failsafe. The most common causes of airbag failure include:

• Early, late, or no deployment.
• The use of counterfeit airbags.
• Design and/or manufacturing defects.
• Sitting too closely to the dashboard or steering wheel.
• Forceful deployment.
• Flying shrapnel upon deployment.
• Malfunctioning on/off switch.
• Failure to replace deployed airbags after an accident.

When an airbag fails, it can cause life-threatening and even fatal injuries. The most-commonly reported airbag failure injuries include concussions and traumatic brain injury (TBI), eye injuries (e.g., orbital fractures, detached retinas, and ruptures), spinal injuries, injuries to the chest/ribs/lungs/heart, and paralysis (i.e., quadriplegia and paraplegia).

Airbags can also be particularly dangerous for children, which is why children under 13 years of age should always sit in the back seat and use an appropriate car seat or booster.

The Takata Airbag Recall

The Takata airbag recall is the single largest automotive recall in history. This recall (which covers an estimated 100 million vehicles worldwide) involves airbag inflators that are prone to exploding, and which have caused numerous serious injuries and at least 25 wrongful deaths.

More than 42 million vehicles in the US have already been recalled for defective Takata airbags, and the number keeps growing. In fact, Toyota and Honda alone have added more than 6 million additional vehicles to the Takata recall since the beginning of 2020, and GM just added another ~7 million in November 2020.

The problem is that these Takata-brand airbags had defective non-azide driver inflators, which can either cause the airbag to underinflate or to explode (both of which are obviously very bad). The recall covers vehicles from Toyota, Audi, Honda, Mitsubishi, Chevrolet, BMW and nearly 30 other manufacturers. Click here to check if your vehicle has been recalled.

Product Liability Law

Claims involving defective airbags (or other safety features) fall under the legal concept of product liability. Product liability law holds a designer, creator, manufacturer, installer, and/or seller of a product liable and responsible for injury caused to the consumer. Claims can revolve around manufacturing defects, design defects, and/or marketing defects.

Other Potential Safety Hazards

Airbags are not the only safety feature that can cause serious injury and/or death. Whether your accident involved a malfunctioning seatbelt, defective tires, faulty brakes, a seatback failure, or even a roof collapse, you have every right to bring a product liability claim in order to recover the compensation you’re owed.

Our auto accident lawyers are here to thoroughly investigate the cause of your accident, to consult with experts, to determine who is at fault in your accident, and to help you get the justice and compensation you deserve—and all on a no-win no-fee basis.

We Can Help

If you or a loved one has suffered further injury from a defective airbag or other vehicle safety feature, it is imperative that you speak to an attorney as soon as possible. Our experienced attorneys are here to take your call 24 hours a day, and consultations are always free.

To discuss your case with us today, send us an email or call us at 1-855-COWBOY9 (1-855-269-2699). We’re here to answer your questions as best we can, and to help you understand your options moving forward.