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GM Airbag Supplier First Informed Auto Industry of Safety Risks in Takata Airbags Two Decades Ago

Revelations on the front page of the New York Times point to an automotive industry that was aware of extreme safety flaws in cheaper airbags made by Takata Corp. as early as the late 1990s. The story raises doubt over the enforceability of product specifications largely agreed by on by the industry itself, with little regulatory oversight, citing sources connected to General Motors’ decision to switch airbag suppliers and former NHTSA administrator Joan Claybrook. The airbags at the center of the Takata recalls have killed and injured over 100 people and led to the largest auto safety recall in US history.

The New York Times reports that “in the late 1990s” GM first asked its then airbag supplier, Autoliv, “to match the cheaper design” of airbags made by Takata “or risk losing the automaker’s business.” Autoliv tests, however, overwhelmingly concluded that the lifesaving devices transformed into shrapnel bombs in certain climate conditions. Moreover, the United States Council on Automotive Research, an industry consortium that sets design and performance specifications, updated its airbag guidance reflecting the accepted dangers of using ammonium nitrate inflaters in high-humidity environments. “The problem,” the Times reports, “is that no one enforced the specifications,” a fact that “points to the self-regulatory nature of automotive manufacturing.” Another story for the New York Times reports on what car owners can do if their vehicle is affected by the Takata recall.

Road and Track reports on the Times story, pointing out GM’s argument “that, among approximately 44,000 crashes where Takata-sourced airbags deployed, not one inflator has ruptured.”

Motor Trend reports the Times story “provides a detailed timeline that led to GM’s decision to use the defective Takata airbag inflators that could explode and hurl shrapnel throughout the cabin.” Motor Trend observes that the Times story also “points out Autoliv warned other automakers as well, including Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Toyota — all of whom also installed Takata inflators in vehicles that are included in the massive recall.”

From the news release of the American Association for Justice.

Bob Kraft

I am a Dallas, Texas lawyer who has had the privilege of helping thousands of clients since 1971 in the areas of Personal Injury law and Social Security Disability.

About This Blog

The title of this blog reflects my attitude toward those government agencies and insurance companies that routinely mistreat injured or disabled people. As a Dallas, Texas lawyer, I've spent more than 45 years trying to help those poor folk, and I have been frustrated daily by the actions of the people on the other side of their claims. (Sorry if I offended you...)

If you find this type of information interesting or helpful, please visit my law firm's main website at KraftLaw.com. You will find many more articles and links. Thank you for your time.

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