Defective Side Impact Airbags
Posted Friday, January 29, 2021 by Chris Thayer
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, side impact airbags (including side “curtain” airbags) greatly reduce the chance of serious injury or death in a collision. In fact, side impact airbags have been shown to reduce the risk of death by as much as 37% in driver-side impacts. For SUV crashes to the driver’s side, that risk of death is reduced by as much as 52%. Unfortunately, sometimes these airbags are defective. When defects exist, the resulting injuries can be catastrophic or even deadly. Experienced Seattle products liability lawyers may be able to obtain significant compensation for families who lose loved ones in fatal collisions when the airbags were defective.
*How do Side Impact Airbags Deploy?*Airbags - including side-impact airbags - deploy when a small ignitor switch is triggered by sensors in the vehicle. These sensors trigger an electrical impulse that fires and creates a small explosion that rapidly releases air and expands the airbags in a split second. So, what happens when things go wrong?
*What Can Go Wrong?*In general, there are several ways that airbag defects can happen. These are:
- Failed ignitor switch. When this happens, there simply is no triggering effect, and the airbags never receive the signal to open.
- Fake Airbags. Though rare, there are some companies and used vehicle dealers who have refurbished motor vehicles by installing fake or substandard airbags.
- Broken On/Off Switches. Any newer vehicles have a switch that allows the operator to turn the passenger airbags on or off. This can be helpful if someone is riding in the front who has a health condition that makes airbags unsafe, or if there is no one riding, these switches can help to avoid an airbag striking another object in the seat. These switches can go bad.
- Recalls. Perhaps the most infamous problems with airbags are those that tend to result in recalls, like the Takata Airbag Recall.
**Getting Compensated for Injuries
**When someone is seriously injured due to faulty or malfunctioning airbags, there is often a right to seek monetary compensation. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that defective and recalled airbags present a serious danger to the public. If you have a moment, you should check to see if your vehicle has a recall.
Do not try to fight the large auto manufacturers and insurance carriers alone. It is often an expensive and highly complex process. At Pivotal Law Group, our Seattle product liability lawyers fight hard to make sure clients receive the compensation that they deserve. But there are strict deadlines that apply. If you miss a single deadline, you might forever lose the right to seek compensation. Contact our team today for a free evaluation of your airbag or other product liability claim.