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Florida Residents At Risk in Takata Airbag Recall

January 20th, 2017 Lawsuits & Litigation 3 minute read
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Florida Residents At Risk in Takata Airbag Recall

Faulty Takata airbags mark the biggest automotive recall in U.S. history to date.  70 million airbags have been recalled worldwide since the issue was first announced in May 2016 and 19 million cars have been set for replacement bags. This number is expected to grow exponentially in the coming weeks, and has specifically impacted southern Florida residents.It’s been found that Takata bags can fire out metal shrapnel upon activation, and many owners of the vehicles with Takatas have learned of the danger the hard way. Drivers in southern Florida are at the highest risk and several motorists have already been injured with one resident actually dying from a faulty bag. The shrapnel can fly at individuals extremely quickly, over 200 miles an hour, according to one attorney.

Image Courtesy of Popular ScienceImage Courtesy of Popular Science

A group of Florida residents and leaders have banned together to plea with the public to check their cars for inclusion of the faulty bags, and dealerships in the area are being heavily stocked with replacement bags to accommodate.  Owners of the models listed can bring their cars into any authorized dealer for inspection and replacement of Takata bags at no cost.  The bags are easily swapped out, with the entire procedure taking about an hour, so wait time is minimal.State Senate Minority representative Oscar Braynon is considering issuing safety notices through the state's annual registration renewal. He hopes this will increase the likelihood of Florida residents taking notice before it’s too late. Currently, manufacturers of the vehicles who have submitted recall notices are required by law to notify all known owners immediately by first class mail. Most of the carmakers have also posted notices on their sites in order to increase awareness.A notice on Honda’s site states: “The automotive industry is facing an unprecedented challenge in the recall and replacement of millions of Takata airbag inflators. We want to assure you that Honda is committed to addressing the needs and concerns of our customers who are affected by this issue. We stand behind the safety and quality of our products. The protection of the drivers and passengers in our vehicles is our paramount concern.”Checking whether one's car is included is as simple as noting the VIN number and entering it into airbagrecall.com.  The site will let an owner know if the vehicle is unsafe and will provide the proper next steps.

Sources:

Takata Airbag Recall - Everything You Need to KnowFaulty Airbags Have South Florida At Forefront Of Biggest Auto Recall In U.S. HistoryOver 652K Vehicles Involved in Latest Takata Airbag RecallTakata Airbag Recall
Sara E. Teller

About Sara E. Teller

Sara is a credited freelance writer, editor, contributor, and essayist, as well as a novelist and poet with nearly twenty years of experience. A seasoned publishing professional, she's worked for newspapers, magazines and book publishers in content digitization, editorial, acquisitions and intellectual property. Sara has been an invited speaker at a Careers in Publishing & Authorship event at Michigan State University and a Reading and Writing Instructor at Sylvan Learning Center. She has an MBA degree with a concentration in Marketing and an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, graduating with a 4.2/4.0 GPA. She is also a member of Chi Sigma Iota and a 2020 recipient of the Donald D. Davis scholarship recognizing social responsibility. Sara is certified in children's book writing, HTML coding and social media marketing. Her fifth book, PTSD: Healing from the Inside Out, was released in September 2019 and is available on Amazon. You can find her others books there, too, including Narcissistic Abuse: A Survival Guide, released in December 2017.

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