Take The Takata Airbag, Please
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration calls the Takata airbag recall the largest in history. It’s estimated to affect more than 37 million automobiles.
From 2002 through 2015, automotive parts manufacturer Takata installed airbags in cars made by 19 different companies. The airbags were dangerously defective. They used ammonium nitrate-based propellant, and when the airbags deployed they often exploded, sending shrapnel into the car’s interior. So far, 15 people have died in the US as a result of the defect, and 23 people have died worldwide. At least 300 people have been injured. In June of 2017 Takata filed for bankruptcy. In February of 2018, a Delaware bankruptcy judge ordered the creation of a trust fund holding $97-137 million to compensate victims of airbag injuries.