Newsworthy Vehicle Airbags Problems

Since 1997, at least 3,000,000 vehicles have been recalled due to air bag related problems. Of these, about half were due to problems of the sort that only time and road experience were likely to reveal. Here is a sampling: BMW 3-Series, Ford Focus, GM Recalls 720,000 vehicles for airbag problems, Hyundai Sonatas, Nissan Altima 1994-1995, Nissan 350Z, Scion TC, Toyota Camry 2007

BMW issues second recall for air bag problem – The German luxury automaker BMW recalled 20,500 3-Series cars to fix passenger-side air bags that could deploy without a crash. This is the second time BMW has issued a recall for the problem. The recall covers BMW 323i and 328i cars built between April and August of 1999. The prior recall covered 34,701 3-Series cars built between June 1998 and March 1999.

BMW said the affected air bag systems could go off if the cars hit a curb or a pothole at a high enough speed, even if the impact caused no damage to the vehicle. After the first recall, the company continued to receive complaints about air bags deploying unexpectedly, prompting the second recall. There were a small number of minor injuries reported before the first recall. BMW was unaware of any injury reports since.

Ford Focus Airbag Probe - U.S. vehicle safety regulators have intensified another investigation into reported defects involving the compact Ford Focus, citing 130 complaints of burn injuries from Focus air bags. The injury complaints add to a litany of problems that have beset the Focus since Ford put it on sale in 2000, marketing the car to young buyers to introduce them to the Ford brand.

In the past two years, Ford has been forced to issue nine safety recalls for the Focus; six investigations into possible defects are still pending. The NHTSA upgraded the investigation into 576,700 of the 2000 and 2001 model year Focus cars to an engineering analysis, a step that often precedes a recall.

Ford received 100 complaints about the Focus' air bags, adding to the 40 already made to NHTSA. Along with the 130 reported injuries, there were 18 reports that the deployed air bags caused other parts of the vehicle to catch fire.

Typically, the gas in a deploying air bag comes from a chemical reaction that inflates the bag in less than a tenth of a second. The chemicals that launch a bag are heated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and there have been several other reports of burns or irritations from air bags in other models.

In 2002, General Motors Corp. recalled about 720,000 vehicles to fix two problems that could cause air bags to malfunction in a crash. One recall covered about 570,000 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups, as well as Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL SUV, all built between February 1999 and February 2000.

The trucks had air bag sensing and diagnostic modules that could interfere with air bag deployment. The world's largest automaker said it was investigating whether nine reports of air bags failing to deploy in crashes were linked to the problem that triggered the recall.
A U.S. government database of vehicle safety complaints from consumers shows 37 reports of air bags failing to deploy in crashes of the recalled vehicles. including 30 injuries and one fatality.

The NHTSA typically opens vehicle safety investigations based on consumer complaints, but it had not started any probe of the air bags in the recalled trucks. A second recall covers 150,000 vehicles, spread among 13 models of cars, SUVs, and minivans, built between May and June 2002. About 8,000 of those vehicles have driver's side air bag inflate modules that could crack open if the bag deployed, leaving the bag less than fully inflated in a wreck.

Hyundai Sonatas – More than 43,000 Hyundai Sonatas were recalled in June 2003 to fix loose wiring and faulty sensors that could inflate the side airbag if a door is slammed too hard.

Nissan Altima 1994-1995--Two consumer groups in the United States have called for a recall of 1994 and early-1995 Nissan Altima because of defective air bags that can cause blindness and permanent eye injury. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at least 32 reports of people who have been injured by the Altima air bags suffer permanent eye injuries. The bags have damaged retinas, caused irises to detach and left some victims with blurred vision or some loss of vision. The injuries occurred in low-speed crashes in which the drivers walked away.

Nissan alters design mid-1995 - A man’s right eye was severely injured in a 1999 crash in Virginia. He was a passenger in a friend's 1995 Nissan Altima when the vehicle rear-ended a car. The man was knocked unconscious and had to have eye surgery. He now has glaucoma and permanent scars in his right eye.

Since Nissan altered the design of its air bags in mid-1995 there have been no known cases of permanent eye injury.

Is the Nissan 350Z defective? For no apparent reason the airbags of a 350Z opened as an unsuspecting driver as he was driving down the highway. Does Nissan have defective airbags?

Scion TC – Don’t slam that car door too hard while the motor is on or the driver or passenger will be inadvertently crushed by a deploying, exploding airbag. The NHTSA recalled 29,542 2005 and 2006 model year Scion TCs made by Toyota.

Toyota Camry 2007 Recall
What’s going on with Toyota? Normally, they are a highly rated, highly touted car manufacturer. Mistakes can be made and here’s one of them:

Toyota Camry Problem
On certain vehicles, due to improper assembly of the air bag inflator, which is used in the side air bag, the curtain shield air bag and the knee air bag assembly, some inflators were produced with an insufficient amount of heating agents necessary for proper air bag deployment. In this condition, the expansion force of the gas may be insufficient to properly inflate the air bag when the SRS system is activated during a crash.

Toyota Camry Consequences--This may increase the risk of injury to the occupant in the involved seating position in the event of a crash.

Remedy for Toyota Camry Recall
Dealers will replace the specific SRS air bag. The recall began on April 6, 2006. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-888-270-9371; Scion at 1-888-548-1851; or Lexus at 1-800-255-3987.
Customers may contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153) or go to http://www.safercar.gov.

Airbag Lawsuits: Please fill out the form below to see if you have a case!

Generally air bags save lives but air bags can also cause serious injury and can be fatal. If you or a family member has been seriously injured or killed due to a faulty air-bag, consult with Anapol Schwartz, Pennsylvania and New Jersey law firm, about filing a fatal air bag lawsuit or serious air bag injury lawsuit. Don’t wait forever. Each state has statute of limitations for fi ling lawsuits. The last thing you want is to regret fi ling a lawsuit in time.

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