Airbag Recalls

[DallasCowboysFan]

One of my cars only got the recall notice late last year (4 years after the recalls started).

4 years is a long time to be riding around with something that is as necessary as airbags.

 

[DallasCowboysFan]

A lot of those dangerous airbags are still on the road: many owners did not respond to the recalls and did not get their airbags replaced. Many cars easily reach an age of 10 ~ 20 years before getting scrapped, so these cars will remain on the road for quite a number of years as the usage of these faulty airbags continued to 2012 or beyond.


Takata had a majority of market share in this business as their product was so much better and cheaper than their competitors. Until the design flaw (the chemical used) and danger of these airbags became clear.....

Didn't they use baking soda?
Or, is that what they replaced it with?

 

[HobbyTrading]

Didn't they use baking soda?
Or, is that what they replaced it with?

I forgot the precise composition of the "gunpowder" they used. The powder they used turned out to be not stable and susceptible to moisture creeping in over time into the canister that holds it, combined with poor quality control during manufacturing. It is the metal shrapnel from the exploding canister during an accident which caused the injuries (and death) to people in the affected cars.
More company information can be found at the Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takata_Corporation

Edit: the Takata Wikipedia page mentions ammonium nitrate. The page about this chemical compound explains that it is a less-stable powder. See here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonium_nitrate , scroll to the section "Niche uses".

 

[mlawson71]

So if someone died because the airbag was faulty, can their family sue the company?

 

[HobbyTrading]

So if someone died because the airbag was faulty, can their family sue the company?

Class action lawsuits were done. I didn't follow that in detail and don't know the outcomes.