Can your car cause you further injury in an accident?

If you are involved in a car accident, you have a reasonable expectation that your vehicle will protect you. That is most often the case, but a historic recall of millions of cars indicates that an accident may cause more injury.

The Takata airbag recall is one of the largest and most complex in U.S. history. It has impacted dozens of manufacturers such as Honda, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Toyota and more.

As of November 2017, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said approximately 34 million vehicles were currently under recall for roughly 46 million defective Takata airbags. These airbags can explode when deployed, causing serious injury or death. The most recent reports link the Takata airbags with at least 180 injuries and 20 deaths.

More recalls coming

More recalls continue to roll out, and the latest recall affects 3.3 million cars from 2009, 2010 and 2013 model years. The NHTSA said more recalls are scheduled by December 2019, which is estimated to increase the total number of affected airbags to 65-70 million. Consumers can stay up to date on if the makes and models of their cars are impacted using the NHTSA’s recall lookup tool.

If you or a loved one are in a car accident and your airbag injures you further when it is deployed, you are entitled to compensation. You can work with an experienced personal injury attorney who will assist you so you are not left to deal with your injuries alone.

Everyone should feel safe in their car, but until the Takata recall is fully completed, it is uncertain what vehicles could cause damage.