Airbags save thousands of lives every year. In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 44,000 lives had been saved by airbags as of 2015. Unfortunately, there are many ways that airbags can fail to protect passengers and drivers from serious injuries – and because many car manufacturers continue to place profits over people, there are often intrinsic defects in the design or manufacturing of these devices.
It can often be difficult to tell when you have grounds for an airbag failure lawsuit, as these cases are highly technical. That’s why it’s important to hire an attorney experienced in auto defect litigation when you or your loved ones have been catastrophically injured or killed in a car accident. By investigating the cause of your crash, examining the scene, and asking critical questions, our team at The Ammons Law Firm can help you determine if you have an airbag failure lawsuit.
Here are some common airbag failures that could be grounds for a lawsuit:
- Defective airbag sensors: Airbags rely on accurate sensors to deploy. If these sensors cannot identify when you’re involved in a crash, the airbag may fail to offer you any protection. Alternatively, a faulty airbag sensor may cause the airbag to deploy in the wrong situation – which can result in serious injuries too.
- Inflation defects: The most sweeping auto recall in American history involves airbags with inflation defects, which were produced by Japanese manufacturer Takata and installed in millions of cars worldwide. These airbags have a tendency to explode on impact because they use ammonium nitrate without sufficient drying agents.
- Lack of side protection: Although the NHTSA only mandates the use of frontal airbags in cars, most vehicle manufacturers have also come to include side airbags to achieve the legally required levels of head and torso protection. However, these side airbags do not always offer appropriate protection for all types of car crashes, as many are only designed to work as supplements for frontal impacts.
- Faulty wiring: When airbag wiring is damaged or severed, the sensors may not be able to trigger a deployment in time for your crash. In some airbags, the wiring may be more susceptible to damage due to intrinsic design defects.
If your airbags fail to work as intended during an accident, the results can include brain injuries, paralyzing spinal cord injuries, internal organ damage, and even death. Although product liability cases can be complicated, our team at The Ammons Law Firm has successfully litigated many airbag failure claims for decades. Serving as your trusted legal advocates, we will fight for you to receive fair compensation if we determine that there was a manufacturing defect involved in your accident.
Call (281) 801-5617 today to explore your legal options.