HIDALGO COUNTY, Texas – The Ammons Law Firm filed suit against Chrysler on behalf of a young man who was seriously injured when the airbag in his 2007 Chrysler 300 exploded during a minor traffic accident. The crash occurred when a car ran a red light, causing a collision with the Chrysler 300 which the young man was driving.
The lawsuit, filed in the 370th Judicial District Court of Hidalgo County, alleges that Chrysler was negligent in its use of defective airbags in the vehicle and careless in its failure to diligently carry out a recall of all its vehicles known to have defective airbags.
Chrysler used Takata airbag systems when it manufactured the 2007 Chrysler 300s. Unfortunately, Takata airbag systems were defectively manufactured with an inflator defect beginning as early as 2000. The defect causes the inflator to explode, sending metal and plastic shrapnel through the airbag and toward the driver’s neck and face. Takata airbag explosions have been linked to thirteen deaths in the U.S. and at least 23 worldwide. They have also caused hundreds of serious injuries, including disfigurement and cervical spine fractures.
According to publicly available information, it appears that between 2012 and 2017, there were at least four confirmed airbag explosions in Chrysler vehicles, including in at least one Chrysler 300. Despite the extreme danger posed by airbags with the potential to explode, the lawsuit alleges that Chrysler was slow to recall vehicles known to have defective airbag systems. Chrysler, the suit contends, knew or should have known about the faulty airbag inflators and the danger they posed by at least 2005. Chrysler did not recall the victim’s 2007 Chrysler 300 until June 2015.
Drivers rely on airbag systems to keep them safe during motor vehicle accidents. Their sole purpose is to prevent foreseeable injuries in the event of a crash. A reasonable consumer should, at the very least, be able to expect that his or her airbag will not cause more damage during a crash. In this case, the suit alleges that Chrysler put profits ahead of consumer safety, ultimately resulting in injuries to a young man involved in a minor accident while driving a 2007 Chrysler 300.
Chrysler FCA US
Chrysler is now officially known as FCA US. It was formerly Chrysler Group LLC. It is one of the “Big Three” automobile manufacturers in the United States and is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Chrysler was originally founded in 1925 and has gone through several name changes since that time. In 2014, it was acquired by Fiat, becoming a subsidiary of the newly formed Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
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The Ammons Law Firm is a nationwide personal injury firm focused on product liability, tire defects, truck accidents, rollovers, catastrophic injury, wrongful death, post-collision fires, seatbelt defects, airbag defects and plant explosions.
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