New Airbag Death Linked To Takata Inflators

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This past week, Ford Motor Company confirmed a second death due to a faulty airbag inflator from Takata Corp in one of its older pickup trucks, and is urging nearly 3,000 truck owners in North America to stop driving their vehicles immediately until they can get the defect repaired. The affected models are 2006 Ford Rangers, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) lists these defective airbags as an immediate risk to safety. This most recent death, confirmed at the end of December 2017—and another death in 2015—occurred with Takata inflators built on the same day and installed in 2006 Ranger pickups.

The Takata airbag recall: what you should know

The Takata airbag recall is one of the most widespread and complex in history. Installed in cars from about 2002 to 2015, these airbags were produced by auto supplier Takata. Some of the airbags had a manufacturing defect that, in the event of a car accident, caused them to deploy in an explosive manner, injuring or killing occupants of the vehicle. At the heart of this defect is the inflator, a metal cartridge filled with propellant. In some cases, the inflator would explode, spraying the vehicle’s cabin with shards of metal. The latest fatality reported from Ford brings the total of Takata-related airbag deaths to 21.

By December 2019, the number of airbags recalled across all car models is expected to reach 65 to 70 million.

What action should I take?

This is a new recall for vehicles that were previously recalled in 2016—of those 391,000 Ford Rangers from 2004-2006, the latest recall affects 2,900 vehicles. This identifies the owners in the highest risk pool. Additionally, Mazda will soon announce a recall for some of their 2006 Mazda B-series trucks, which were built by Ford and are similar to the Rangers.

Following are the steps you should take if you believe you may be driving an affected vehicle:

• Visit NHTSA.gov and enter your VIN to see if your vehicle is listed for recall.
• If you’re driving a Ford Ranger in particular, check the Ford website to see if your vehicle is listed in the recall.
• If your Ford Ranger is listed, Ford is advising not to drive the vehicle until you can get the airbag repaired.
• Ford currently has replacement parts available for repair (free of charge), and the company is also willing to tow your vehicle to the shop. If necessary, they can also provide a loaner vehicle.

If you need strong representation after you have been injured in a car accident or by a defective product, schedule a free consultation with one of our Delaware auto accident attorneys today. We will fight for the compensation you deserve. Call 302-888-2900 or fill out our contact form today.