Two former employees of Takata have come forward, accusing the company of knowing and concealing risks associated with the 14 million airbags currently recalled by 11 automakers. According to the whistleblowers, the company conducted secret tests on the airbags, which produced alarming results. The results were bad enough that engineers began preparing for a recall. Instead, Takata executives ignored the results, ordered the deletion of the test data, and did not alarm federal safety regulators.
The previously undisclosed 2004 secret tests were conducted after Takata received a report of an airbag that ruptured during deployment, sending shrapnel into a vehicle in Alabama. As a result of the incident, Takata collected 50 airbags from scrapyards and conducted the tests. According to one of the whistleblowers, a senior member of the testing lab, two of the airbags’ steel inflaters cracked during deployment. The tests were so sensitive that they took place after business hours at Takata’s American headquarters.
According to regulatory filings, Takata first disclosed airbag problems, initiating its first recall four years later in 2008. The Takata airbag recall is likely to be in the news for quite some time. At least 139 injuries and four deaths have been attributed to the faulty airbags so far.
See the full New York Times article here.
If you or a loved one has been injured by an exploding airbag or any car accident, contact The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker today at (800) 333-0000 for a free consultation.
