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Two Additional Fatalities Linked to Defective Takata Airbags

toyota-announces-new-takata-airbag-recallsTwo additional deaths have been tied to faulty Takata airbags. Exploding inflators in the defective airbags have caused 11 fatalities in the U.S. so far.

On March 31, a Texas teen was pronounced dead at the scene of an accident in which the 2002 Honda Civic she was driving rear-ended a Honda SUV. The faulty airbag in her vehicle deployed, sending shrapnel in her direction which severed her carotid artery and neck.

Then, in early April, a Florida woman succumbed to injuries she sustained in a 2014 accident. The Takata airbag in her 2001 Honda Civic erupted when her vehicle collided with an SUV at a slow speed. Her injuries were catastrophic, leaving the formerly active woman a quadriplegic.

Honda Working to Notify Owners of Recall

The Florida woman’s accident took place just days before the initial recall was first announced. Honda has reported that multiple recall notices were sent to the owner of the 2002 Honda Civic involved in the crash which killed the Texas teen, yet repairs had never been made. The parents of the deceased teen, who bought the vehicle used, maintain that they never received a recall notification.

Honda has stepped up efforts to notify vehicle owners of the Takata airbag recall. Their customer relations department has doubled the number of staff members working on the issue, sending millions of mailers and phone calls to inform affected vehicle owners of the safety issue.

To date, Honda has the highest recall repair rate of the 14 automakers involved in the recall, with 54 percent of repairs made to vehicles recalled through December 2015. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is pressuring auto manufacturers to reach a goal of 100 percent completion.

If you sustained an injury due to a faulty Takata airbag or another defective product, you may be entitled to compensation. The class action attorneys at GWC Injury Lawyers are available to pursue your claim, working to maximize your compensation.

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