It's already being called the largest and most complex auto recall in history, but earlier this month, it was revealed that the Takata airbag recall may widen to include even more car makers. As the Boston Globe reports, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx told reporters in Japan that other major car makers not originally named in the recall could have outfitted their cars with the dangerous airbags.
"Everyone's got to be vigilant," Foxx said. "Even though our focus has been on the 12 manufacturers that we know pose a risk to safety of our consumers, it doesn't preclude companies from doing their own testing. Our investigation remains open, so I wouldn't preclude the possibility that other [manufacturers] would be affected."
The manufacturers Foxx referred to include Volkswagen, Jaguar Land Rover, Tesla, and Daimler. Each car maker has written to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and stated that they are not planning to issue any recalls over airbag concerns.
An Unprecedented Recall
The Takata Corp. controversy centers on ammonium nitrate airbag deployment systems. The chemical propellant has shown that, in some cases, it can deploy with too much force, sending shrapnel into the car. Numerous injuries and eight deaths have been associated with the faulty airbags. It is believed that, worldwide, 19 million cars from major manufacturers have been outfitted with the airbags.
Regulators and manufacturers alike are now taking a hard line against Takata. The NHTSA has taken unprecedented moves to speed along the process of recalling and repairing cars and just recently fined the company a record $200 million. Honda, Toyota, and Nissan have announced that they will no longer use Takata inflators, with Honda even revealing that they believe that there's evidence to suggest that Takata tampered with its inflator test data.
"It's always troubling when you have a manufacturer who you rely upon to provide truthful information and that information is not provided," Foxx told reporters in Japan. "In many cases, what we found were omissions that were unnecessary and harmed our ability to ensure the safety of consumers, and in some cases, even errors of commission."
If you or loved one have been hurt by a Takata airbag, then we invite you to contact us at Jackson Allen & Williams, LLP today. Our Dallas personal injury attorneys have navigated defective auto part cases before and know how aggressively pursue rightful compensation for consumers hurt by the wrongdoing and negligence of these companies.
Get more than 50 years of combined legal experience on your side. Contact us today to request a case evaluation.