Nissan Calls Back More Cars With Takata Airbags

The Takata airbag fiasco continues to wreak havoc on auto safety, even a decade after a string of accidents caused by the malfunctioning safety devices began.

Nissan is recalling more than 18,000 sedans, the company recently announced.

Some older models may have had the defective safety devices installed after being involved in collisions, the automaker says.

Some 100 million malfunctioning Takata airbags have been recalled around the world in the last 10 years. The recall is the largest by far on record in the U.S.

It followed initial reports of exploding safety devices causing accidents, injuries and even death. At least 25 people have been killed as a result of the defective airbags.

Takata eventually paid $1 billion to settle a Justice Department probe into claims that it failed to warn consumers of the problem. The company later filed for bankruptcy and was sold.

For more info on the Takata recall, click here.

The newly recalled cars include certain 2002-2003 Infiniti QX4 vehicles, as well as 2006-2010 Infiniti M35/M45, 2001-2003 Nissan Maxima, 2002-2006 Nissan Sentra and 2007-2012 Nissan Versa sedans.

“An inflator rupture may cause metal fragments to pass through the airbag and into the vehicle interior at high speed, which may result in injury or death to vehicle occupants,” Nissan said in a defect report filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The company is asking owners of recalled cars to bring their vehicles to a local dealer to have airbag inflators replaced.

Airbags, Other Defects Pose Real Safety Risks

The news from Nissan is the latest sign that Takata airbags are still posing a threat.

Cars with the defective airbags are still lurking on roads and used dealership lots throughout the country. Millions of defective airbags have not been fixed in the U.S. alone, according to federal data.

That is not to mention that auto manufacturers recall millions of vehicles every year for serious defects that pose serious safety risks.

Nissan, for instance, in August said it was recalling more than 180,000 Frontier and Titan pickups over a transmission defect that could cause the vehicles to roll away while parked.

The good news is that Nissan and other car owners in California have some important protections under the state’s lemon law.

The law requires carmakers to do a full range of repairs on vehicles while they are under warranty. It also forces auto manufacturers to buy back (or replace, in some cases) cars that they are not able or simply refuse to fix. That includes compensating the owner for the purchase price, as well as other related fees and costs.

Our Lemon Lawyers Can Help

At Bickel Sannipoli, our California lemon law attorneys have assisted hundreds of clients across the state stuck with defective or malfunctioning vehicles. 

We are conveniently located in Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. Call us at (888) 800-1983 or contact us online to speak with a California lemon law attorney today.