Philadelphia Car Accident Lawyers Blog

Nissan Motor Company has recalled over 134,000 vehicles because a defect is preventing the airbags from deploying in a crash.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received reports that the airbags of Nissan Infiniti G35 sedans and coupes are not deploying in a crash which could cause serious injury to occupants and drivers. Nissan has reported the problem to be a defective connector. The wire harness may wear down over time and interrupt the signal to deploy the airbags in the event of a collision.

A red warning light on the dashboard will appear when the connection to the airbag is interrupted. Any consumers with a red airbag warning light on their dash should immediately take their defective vehicles to the nearest dealer to be repaired. Those driving recalled vehicles without a light should wait until they are notified by Nissan before returning their vehicles to the dealership.

Recalled Vehicles:
2005 - 2006 Model Year Infiniti G35 sedans
2005 - 2007 Model Year Infiniti G35 coupes

Related Sources:
Nissan recalls Infiniti G35 sedans, coupes

Honda Motor Corporation is adding 437,000 vehicles to a recall that was originally announced in November 2008. The recall includes 378,000 vehicles in Pennsylvania and nationwide. Additionally 41,000 have been recalled in Canada and 17,000 in Asia and Australia.

The vehicles have a defective driver's side airbag that can deploy with too much pressure causing unnecessary injury or death to the driver of the vehicle. This latest addition to the recall comes after an investigation into the machine that stamps the airbags. The defective machine at times used insufficient pressure to make the airbag inflators and in a safety measure Honda has recalled all vehicles that have airbags made by the machine.

Vehicles affected by the recall:

2001 and 2002 Accord Sedans
2001 and 2002 Civic Compacts
2001 and 2002 Odyssey Minivans
2001 and 2002 CRV Sport Utility Vehicles
2002 Acura TL Sedans

Owners of the recalled vehicles will be notified by Honda and will then be able to bring the defective vehicle to a dealer for a free repair.

Related Sources:
Honda adds 437,000 cars to global air bag recall

The Institute for Highway Safety tested 2010 small pickup trucks and not one model was named the institute's best pick for safety. In order to achieve that honor the vehicle has to score "good" in front, side, rear and rollover tests. The vehicle also has to be equipped with electronic stability control.

Across the board small pickups scored "marginal" in roof strength, one of the most important safety features when a vehicle rolls over. This is the first year that the IHS is testing vehicles for rollover and the institute boosted its roof strength requirement across the board. A roof crush test is conducted by driving a metal plate against the roof at a constant speed. For a "good" rating the roof must not buckle more than five inches by a force four times the vehicle's weight. The Nissan Frontier was the only pick-up to achieve a "good" rating in the roof crush and failed to be named the top safety pick because it scored "acceptable" when protecting occupants in a rear crash.

The most startling discovery came when the side curtain airbags in the Dodge Dakota failed to deploy in a side-impact test. Chrysler has identified the problem as a technical one and is currently working on a solution. It should also be noted that the Dakota is the only pick-up that does not have standard side curtain airbags. Chevrolet Colorado scored the lowest in the roof crush test and the institute was unhappy with its protection of the driver's chest and pelvis in a crash.

Related Sources:
Small Pickup Trucks Lag in IIHS Crash and Roof Crush Tests

The Chrysler Group LLC has agreed to accept product liability claims on vehicles manufactured before June 10, 2009. As part of the bankruptcy deal struck with congress Chrysler Group did not have to accept liability for cars manufactured before the bankruptcy deal was approved.

Stewart Eisenberg previously appeared on 6 ABC to discuss the ramifications the deal would have on injured consumers. That deal has changed and injured consumers will once again be able to fight the automaker for the compensation they deserve. If you believe you or a loved one has been harmed as a direct result of an auto defect in a vehicle please do not hesitate to contact our experienced crashworthiness attorneys to discuss your potential case.

Chrysler's Press Release:

Auburn Hills, Mich. - In a letter sent today to Members of Congress, Chrysler Group LLC announced that the company will accept product liability claims on vehicles manufactured by Chrysler LLC (now OldCarco LLC) before June 10, 2009, and involved in accidents on or after that date. On June 10, 2009, Chrysler Group purchased substantially all of the assets of Old Carco.

"We want our customers to feel comfortable and confident buying, driving and enjoying one of our vehicles," Bozzella said. "Chrysler Group vehicles meet or exceed all applicable federal safety standards and have excellent safety records."

The introduction of airbags in passenger vehicles was seen as a new era in passenger safety. Cars with them were considered far safer than those without. This additional safety precaution was designed to ensure the safety of the driver, in conjunction with a seatbelt. On impact it is designed to deploy, the bag filling with air, cushioning the driver as they are thrown forward. However, there have been many problems associated with the airbag due to defects in manufacturing.

An airbag accident lawyer at our law firm has written this information to help clients who have been injured by defective or faulty airbags and who are considering filing an airbag accident lawsuit.

What are the problems associated with airbags?

• Deploying when they should not


• Deploying with too much force


• Deploying too slowly


• Deploying in low speed accidents


• Failing to deploy at all

Children and people with smaller statures and frames are particularly vulnerable to faulty airbag related injuries. Manufacturers contend that it is the consumer that tends to be at fault as they either sit too close to the steering wheel or do not wear a seatbelt. However, the following list of recalls that have occurred over the last few years speaks volumes:

• 2000 GM recalled 224,000 Cadillac Devilles to replace faulty side impact sensors, which would cause the airbags to needlessly deploy.


• 2001 Chrysler recalled 216,000 pickup trucks because of problems with drivers airbags


• 2003 Ford recalled 43,000 Lincoln Continentals because they may have deployed accidentally


• 2005 Hyundai recalled 240,000 Elantras due to airbag issues


• 2005 Kia recalled 73,000 Spectras for similar problems


• 2005 Honda recalled 85,000 minivans due to water leaking into the internal sensors, causing corrosion, which would have led to late deployment or complete failure

These are not the only vehicles with airbag problems, but are ones that have actually gone through a manufacture recall.

Airbag Deployment

Federal standards require that new cars be equipped with airbags, and that's a good thing. Airbags can help prevent injury. However, proper airbag deployment is essential. Airbags feature sensors that make them deploy depending on the speed and angle of the collision. Defective airbags may deploy at below-normal speeds or fail to deploy at the proper speed or angle. This improper airbag deployment can actually cause worse injuries than if the airbag had not deployed at all. Any number of flaws can cause defective airbags to fail. If you have a question about an air bag deployment, please contact our crashworthiness attorneys.

Airbag failure to deploy, defective airbags, or improper airbag deployment can cause serious eye injuries and permanent damage. In some cases partial (or even total) blindness has resulted. Many of these injuries occur due to direct contact with the deploying airbag (while it is still in a ball) or from impact with particles at a high speed that are released during (projected by the) airbag deployment. In response to this, it is necessary that research be conducted using crash dummies with "eye ball models" in order determine how these injuries are occurring and what can be done to prevent injury by proper airbag deployment angles and design of the airbag shape.

In addition, the age and size of the vehicle occupants can have a significant impact on injury profiles, including deasths caused by airbags. For example, a recent study showed that teenage occupants should stay out of the front seat of cars equiped with airbags, unless they are large enough to actually be driving behind the wheel of the car. Furthermore, car seats should NEVER be positioned facing an airbag in the front seat, as this could cause severe injury to an infant in a front seat positioned child seat. Children who are under the age of 15 are at a significantly high risk for fatal or at least serious injury from air bags when those children are seated in the front passenger seat during car crashes. In those cases, the airbag fails to protect the occupant and can even injure the occupant.

Injuries sustained by defective airbags

Surprisingly, one of the most common types of injury is that to the eyes, even in relatively minor accidents blindness has occurred due to a defective airbag. Other injuries to the eye include bruising to the socket and the eyeball rupturing.

Other injuries include but are not limited to:

• Chest injuries (often ending in fatality)


• Burns


• Bruising


• Spinal Cord Injury


• Death

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