Categories | Lawsuits & Litigation Article

Automakers Dismissed Dangers Of Using Takata Airbags

March 21st, 2017 • Lawsuits & Litigation • 2 minute read
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Author Sara E. Teller

Automakers Dismissed Dangers Of Using Takata Airbags

The Takata airbag recall has marked the nation's largest automotive recall in history, affecting almost 70 million airbags in 42 million vehicles.  Now, according to attorneys representing the victims, at least four automakers dismissed the dangers of Takata airbags for years, refusing to replace them.  They continued to include the bags in their vehicles to save on costs.  So far, the investigation performed by the Justice Department has found that automakers were unaware of the potential hazard, and were duped into purchasing the airbags from the clever manufacturer, which manipulated safety data to hide the defect.  The bags have caused at least eleven deaths and over 100 injuries across the nation.

Image Courtesy of PBS

Attorney Kevin R. Dean, one of the plaintiffs' lawyers says this isn't the case.  He is vehemently arguing the automakers were aware of the situation and maintained the status quo anyway, and he is fighting for the Justice Department to shift the focus of its investigation.  Judge George Caram Steeh dismissed Dean's objections against the Takata plea deal in court on Monday, further stating that any action against the car companies should be taken up in civil court.  Victims in attendance were shocked by the judge's decision.  Those, such as Randi Johnston, whose vocal cords were severed from the airbags, have sustained substantial, life changing injuries.  And, these are the victims lucky enough to survive the impact of the explosive bags.  “I really don’t have any words right now,” said Johnston.Last month, Takata pleaded guilty to wire fraud under the settlement deal.  Three executives were also charged with falsifying test data, and the company was tagged with a $1 billion fine.  Takata's Chief Executive Yoichiro Nomura has promised the public that "Takata is fully committed to ensuring such conduct never happens again."  However, the conspiracy only seems to get more complicated.  Takata is currently searching for assistance in meeting its financial obligations.

Sources:

Automakers Knew of Takata Airbag Hazard for Years, Suit SaysAttorneys: 5 automakers knew Takata air bags were dangerous
Sara E. Teller

About Sara E. Teller

Sara is a credited freelance writer, editor, contributor, and essayist, as well as a novelist and poet with nearly twenty years of experience. A seasoned publishing professional, she's worked for newspapers, magazines and book publishers in content digitization, editorial, acquisitions and intellectual property. Sara has been an invited speaker at a Careers in Publishing & Authorship event at Michigan State University and a Reading and Writing Instructor at Sylvan Learning Center. She has an MBA degree with a concentration in Marketing and an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, graduating with a 4.2/4.0 GPA. She is also a member of Chi Sigma Iota and a 2020 recipient of the Donald D. Davis scholarship recognizing social responsibility. Sara is certified in children's book writing, HTML coding and social media marketing. Her fifth book, PTSD: Healing from the Inside Out, was released in September 2019 and is available on Amazon. You can find her others books there, too, including Narcissistic Abuse: A Survival Guide, released in December 2017.

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