Nissan Expands Airbag Recall After Injury Accident
Nissan Expands Airbag Recall After Injury Accident
Nissan is expanding an earlier recall involving defective Takata airbags after flying shrapnel from an exploding airbag injured a Louisiana woman.
According to an Associated Press news report, Sabra Wilson’s 2006 Nissan Sentra was not part of a recall.
Yet, she suffered burns, cuts and hearing problems when the passenger side airbag made by Takata Corporation shot out metal shrapnel after a minor crash in March near New Orleans.
This particular incident also raises questions about whether other cars equipped with Takata airbags should be recalled.
Takata Defective Airbags
Nissan’s recall expansion covers Sentra compact cars from 2004 to 2006 model years in high-humidity states mainly along the Gulf Coast of the United States.
The cars were added to the recall after finding out about Wilson’s injury while analyzing field data.
In November, Nissan recalled more than 52,000 vehicles to fix potentially defective passenger airbag inflator mechanisms made by Takata.
That recall included several Infiniti and Nissan models including some 2004 to 2006 Sentras.
The vehicles included in the most recent recall were sold or registered in 12 high-humidity states and territories including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas and the territories of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Saipan, Guam and American Samoa.
The high humidity in these regions can cause the airbag propellant to burn too fast and potential cause the metal canisters designed to hold them to explode.
So far, these defective airbags have been linked to six deaths and dozens of injuries.
Also, to date, 10 different automakers have recalled more than 17 million vehicles in the U.S. and 22 million globally.
Do We Know the Whole Truth?
As far as the Takata airbag recalls have been concerned, it’s been done in a piecemeal fashion.
It’s still not clear if we know the whole truth about the total number of vehicles that are equipped with these potentially faulty airbags and how far back the problem goes.
Wilson’s injuries should force Takata and automakers to investigate each and every vehicle on the road to determine if they are safe or not.
They owe it to consumers who buy their vehicles.
If you or a loved one has been injured as the result of a faulty Takata airbag, please contact an experienced auto product liability lawyer who has successfully handled similar cases.
