by Tim O’Hare
Follow The Law Offices of Tim O’Hare on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn & Google+.
There’s more news in the automotive industry, and it’s not good. The latest development in a year full of car recalls is a massive airbag recall affecting more than seven million vehicles in the U.S. from multiple automakers, and more than 16 million vehicles globally.
Passenger front airbags affected by this recall are known to explode sending shrapnel into the vehicle, causing serious injury, and in a few cases, even death. When the airbags inflate in a crash, they can tear loose from the brackets that hold them, blowing pieces of those brackets into the faces and chests of occupants. This danger is thought to be amplified in areas of high humidity.
A New York Times report in September found that there had been at least 139 reported injuries from the defective airbags, and at least 2 deaths.
An initial recall by the airbag manufacturer, Takata, was announced in April 2013, and affected only six vehicle makes, but in recent news we have learned that many more vehicles may be affected than originally thought.
On October 20, another major recall was issued across several brands, some of which have issued warnings to owners of affected vehicles not to use the passenger seat until the airbag is replaced. Mostly older model vehicles are affected, although there are a few more recent models on the recall list.
As of October 22, this is the list of affected vehicles from NHTSA:
BMW: 627,615 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2000 – 2005 3 Series Sedan
2000 – 2006 3 Series Coupe
2000 – 2005 3 Series Sports Wagon
2000 – 2006 3 Series Convertible
2001 – 2006 M3 Coupe
2001 – 2006 M3 Convertible
Chrysler: 371,309 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2008 Dodge Ram 1500
2005 – 2008 Dodge Ram 2500
2006 – 2008 Dodge Ram 3500
2006 – 2008 Dodge Ram 4500
2008 – Dodge Ram 5500
2005 – 2008 Dodge Durango
2005 – 2008 Dodge Dakota
2005 – 2008 Chrysler 300
2007 – 2008 Chrysler Aspen
Ford: 58,669 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2004 – Ranger
2005 – 2006 GT
2005 – 2007 Mustang
General Motors: undetermined total number of potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2005 Pontiac Vibe
2005 – Saab 9-2X
Honda: 5,051,364 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2001 – 2007 Honda Accord
2001 – 2005 Honda Civic
2002 – 2006 Honda CR-V
2003 – 2011 Honda Element
2002 – 2004 Honda Odyssey
2003 – 2007 Honda Pilot
2006 – Honda Ridgeline
2003 – 2006 Acura MDX
2002 – 2003 Acura TL/CL
2005 – Acura RL
Mazda: 64,872 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2007 Mazda6
2006 – 2007 MazdaSpeed6
2004 – 2008 Mazda RX-8
2004 – 2005 MPV
2004 – B-Series Truck
Mitsubishi: 11,985 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2004 – 2005 Lancer
2006 – 2007 Raider
Nissan: 694,626 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2001 – 2003 Nissan Maxima
2001 – 2004 Nissan Pathfinder
2002 – 2004 Nissan Sentra
2001 – 2004 Infiniti I30/I35
2002 – 2003 Infiniti QX4
2003 – 2005 Infiniti FX35/FX45
Subaru: 17,516 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2005 Baja
2003 – 2005 Legacy
2003 – 2005 Outback
2003 – 2005 Baja
2004 – 2005 Impreza
Toyota: 877,000 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2002 – 2005 Lexus SC
2002 – 2005 Toyota Corolla
2003 – 2005 Toyota Corolla Matrix
2002 – 2005 Toyota Sequoia
2003 – 2005 Toyota Tundra
If you want to know if your vehicle is affected by this car recall, you can perform a recall search by VIN on the NHTSA website.
If you have been seriously injured or lost a family member in a car accident caused by a vehicle defect or recalled car, contact The Law Offices of Tim O’Hare to speak with a Dallas personal injury attorney.
Call The Law Offices of Tim O’Hare for your FREE Case Evaluation
972-960-0000 or Toll-Free 888-960-0020
