Woman Permanently Scarred After Takata Airbag Explosion

Sara Morgan, who was severely injured during a car crash in June 2020, is suing Ford Motor Company and a Texas car dealership over a recalled Takata airbag, which she says should have been replaced long before the accident. According to a news report, Morgan suffered “life-scarring personal injuries” when the airbag exploded.

Recalled Takata Airbag Not Replaced

She lost her left eye and suffered hearing damage and deep cuts to her face when the airbag sent shrapnel flying through the vehicle. Morgan was a passenger in the 2007 Mustang. The car was being driven by her then-boyfriend. Crash reports and photographs submitted as part of the lawsuit show that while the impact of the collision was not severe, it was severe enough to deploy the driver- and passenger-side airbags. Morgan said she was frightened to find out that the very airbag that was supposed to be protecting her during a crash was doing the opposite. What Morgan did not know at the time was that the passenger-side airbag was a Takata airbag, which should have been replaced two years before her crash. The dealership named in the lawsuit, Morgan’s attorneys say, replaced the driver-side airbag, but not the passenger-side airbag.

Repair Recalls

Under federal law, vehicles that have been recalled by manufacturers for safety issues must be repaired by automakers at no cost to consumers. Auto dealerships also have an obligation under federal law to complete recall-related repairs before they sell a vehicle. However, as evidenced in Morgan’s case, vehicles do tend to slip through the cracks and consumers tend to pay the price – sometimes with their lives. Our auto defect lawyers have seen that too often with defective Takata airbags, which were the subject of an unprecedented recall with tens of millions across a variety of vehicle brands recalled. These faulty airbags can explode with such power that they send shards of metal flying across the passenger compartment. In some cases, victims have suffered injuries consistent with stab wounds. Vehicle manufacturers and dealerships should be held accountable for the injuries, damages, and losses caused by recalled, faulty vehicles. It costs dealerships nothing to repair these vehicles. And yet, many take shortcuts putting their customers in grave danger. Our auto defect lawyers are committed to pursuing justice for consumers who have been injured or have lost loved ones due to the negligence of automakers, dealerships, and other involved parties.   Source: https://www.click2houston.com/news/investigates/2022/05/18/lawsuit-accuses-houston-area-dealer-of-not-replacing-recalled-airbag/