An airbag is a supplemental vehicle safety device meant to provide protection in case of a sudden crash. In most cases, a deployed airbag serves as an important cushion between a driver’s head and the dashboard, steering wheel or side door. There are instances, however, in which an airbag is defective and causes additional injuries instead of preventing them. A defective airbag may inadvertently deploy or completely fail to deploy.
Inadvertent airbag deployment is when an airbag deploys for no reason. In April of 2011, Toyota recalled hundreds of thousands of RAV4s and Highlanders for inadvertent airbag deployment problems that were causing injuries. Ford F-150s (2004-2006 models) were also investigated for inadvertent airbag deployment issues. Airbags inflate very quickly. So, a sudden and unexpected airbag deployment could strike a driver or passenger and cause an injury.
A complete failure to deploy is when an airbag fails to deploy thus leaving the vehicle’s occupants completely unprotected in the event of a crash. In general, airbags are calibrated to deploy when there is a frontal collision exceeding 20 or 25 miles per hour. When there is an accident significant enough to merit an airbag deployment and the airbag fails to work, the product manufacturer may be held liable for the damages suffered.
Regardless of whether the defect involves failure to deploy or inadvertent airbag deployment, the manufacturer of the vehicle or defective airbag can be held liable for injuries, damages and losses caused. If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of an auto product defect such as a faulty airbag, the skilled auto product liability lawyers of The Husband & Wife Law Team can help. Contact us today for a free case evaluation!