It is no secret that the automotive industry has had an eye on safety in recent years. With lane departure alerts and automatic braking, the industry is doing what it can to encourage safe driving.
With all of these advancements, it is almost impossible to imagine that our lives might be at risk from one of the most basic safety tools: the air bag.
Recently, Takata, an auto parts company out of Japan, was ordered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to recall almost 2.7 million potentially defective airbag inflators from a variety of car manufacturers.
Some of the affected brands include Nissan, Mazda, Ford and more. The Ford Company alone has had 2.2 million of their vehicles called out by the NHTSA.
This is not an issue that should be taken lightly as these faulty airbags have resulted in major casualties. To date, 18 people have been killed by the defective airbags while another 180 have reported injuries.
This is, perhaps, just another band aid on a clear problem in the automotive industry with airbag recalls being a relatively regular occurrence. As of this writing, almost 100 million airbags have been recalled around the globe. Although some cars do have functioning, reliable airbags, many recalls have occurred as well.
In a twist of fate, Takata recently went bankrupt before being bought by Key Safety Systems, a supplier out of Detroit. Insiders are expecting the recall process to move much quicker and smoother with a new company in charge.
The cause of the faulty airbags is still a bit of a mystery to experts. It was first thought that manufacturing issues were caused by the warm, high humidity climates in American factories but after further testing it was found that the same malfunctions occurred in cooler and drier climates as well. If you get word of a recall on your vehicle, take care of it as soon as you can so you are not putting yourself or your family at risk.
At 4N6XPRT Systems, we understand the importance of vehicle safety. We’ve spent more than 20 years developing powerful accident reconstruction software tools like 4N6XPRT StifCalcs to help attorneys, insurance companies and law enforcement agencies establish fault in car accidents.