Florida Drivers Most Affected by Takata Airbag Malfunction

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on May 14, 2018

Much has been written on this blog and throughout almost every news organization in the country on the numerous injuries and deaths caused by Takata airbags. Recent revelations from the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration have prompted Florida Democratic Senator Bill Nelson to come forward and denounce the airbag manufacturer as well as encourage all Floridians to check to ensure that their car does not contain the deadly airbags.

The news that prompted the response of Senator Nelson is that, out of all the states in the country, Florida seems hit the hardest by the persistent Takata airbag malfunction. To date, a total of three deaths and 83 injuries have taken place in Florida as a result of improper airbag deployment. The report also stated that the total number of airbag related injuries in Florida have risen by almost 400 percent during the last four years.

According to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, 37 million cars, trucks, and other vehicles with airbags fall within the guidelines of the recall in the U.S. The recall, which only relates to airbags manufactured by Takata, is urgent as the airbags have a disturbing propensity to explode in the case of an accident. The explosion sends pieces of hard plastic and metal hurtling throughout the cabin of the car, often into the chest, arms, and face of those sitting in the driver and front passenger seats.

While Takata airbags can be found throughout numerous car manufacturers’ vehicles, the incidents in Florida have primarily been relegated to cars manufactured by Honda and Toyota. Out of the three deaths and 83 injuries, all of the deaths and 55 of the injuries occurred within Honda made cars. Toyota cars were involved in only 13 of the incidents.

A report from the News 6 organization earlier this month alerted drivers to the fact that around 150,000 cars with faulty Takata airbags are still driving on the road throughout the state of Florida. This number was then amended by the report from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration which claimed that, in fact, 45 percent of Florida’s recalled cars had received treatment. The remaining 55 percent of vehicles accounts for around 1.3 million more cars that are still being operated with a potentially deadly airbag.

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.