A total of six automakers, including Toyota, Nissan, General Motors Co., Honda, and BMW AG have all been subjected to a major recall totaling approximately 3.4 million vehicles. A report from The Washington Post indicates that the recall stems from defective airbags manufactured by Takata Corp., a small parts supplier in Japan.
These defective front passenger air bags have been found in vehicles sold in North America, Europe, Japan, and Germany. Due to a faulty inflator mechanism, gas is not properly routed into the air bags. As such, a deployment can launch plastic and metal parts through the air, striking passengers that were supposed to be protected.
Since many of the manufacturers used the same parts in multiple makes and models, there are numerous types of vehicles affected by this recall. Toyota will be inspecting 1.7 million vehicles from model years 2001-2003 worldwide, including Corolla compacts, Matrix hatchbacks, Sequoia SUVs, Tundra pickups, and Lexus SC 430 sports cars.
Additionally, 1.1 million Honda vehicles include the Civic compact, CR-V small SUV, and Odyssey minivan, all manufactured from 2001 to 2003. Nissan is recalling 480,000 vehicles from model years 2001 through 2003, including the Nissan Maxima midsize sedan, Pathfinder SUV, Sentra compact, Infiniti FX crossover, and QX4 SUV.
While there have been no reported injuries, at least six incidents of improper airbag deployment have been found by automakers.
To learn more about your rights and potential legal options, get in touch with the New Jersey air bag defect lawyers at Blume Forte. Through a free consultation with our legal team, you can learn more about your options to seek compensation for your losses. For more information, call us at 973-845-4421.