Airbag Injury Lawyer

40+ Years of Complex Product Liability Litigation

When a Takata airbag explodes—or fails to deploy—the injuries are often catastrophic or fatal. These are not ordinary car accident cases. Takata airbag claims involve complex product defects, recall history, and engineering proof that go far beyond typical crash litigation.

Successfully pursuing compensation requires a Takata airbag lawyer who understands Takata airbag defect injuries, the recall system, forensic inflator evidence, and the unique legal framework governing these cases. Takata litigation frequently involves multiple liable parties, including automakers and the Takata trust, and depends on proof far beyond routine crash reconstruction.

Takata cases commonly involve:

• Unstable ammonium-nitrate inflators
• High-risk and Do Not Drive recalls
• Complex engineering and metallurgical evidence
• Multiple liable parties (automakers, suppliers, Takata trust)
• Strict filing deadlines unlike standard injury cases

Successfully pursuing compensation requires a lawyer who understands inflator rupture analysis, VIN and recall tracking, and corporate knowledge evidence—not just crash reconstruction.

About Takata Airbag Attorney 

A Career Built on Fighting Manufacturers of Dangerous Products

David P. Willis has spent more than four decades handling catastrophic injury and defective product cases nationwide, forcing manufacturers to answer for dangerous design decisions and safety failures.

Background & Credentials

• Raised in Waco, Texas
• Baylor University (1978)
• South Texas College of Law (1982)
• Former Briefing Attorney, Supreme Court of Texas
• Board-Certified Personal Injury Trial Lawyer (since 1988)
  (Fewer than 2% of Texas attorneys hold this distinction)
• Licensed in Texas (1983)
• Licensed in New York (2005)

Practice Focus Since 1984

• Automotive defect litigation
• Airbag failures and non-deployments
• Tire defects and rollover crashes
• Fuel-system fires
• Wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases

Takata airbags represent one of the most severe and well-documented safety failures in automotive history—and require exactly this level of experience.

National Recognition for Public Safety Impact 

Steven J. Sharp Public Service Award (2001)

David P. Willis received the Steven J. Sharp Public Service Award for legal work that exposed dangerous products and improved public safety—recognition based on impact, not verdict size or case volume.

He was recognized for investigations involving:

• Firestone tire tread-separation defects
• Ford vehicle safety failures
• Discovery of internal corporate knowledge
• Recall-scale defect proof

The same investigative discipline and recall-level experience apply directly to Takata airbag litigation.

Selected High-Impact Defect & Safety Cases

Willis’s career includes landmark litigation and results involving corporate negligence and recall-level defect proof:

• Ford Rollovers / Firestone Tire Defects (1986):
  Early crashworthiness litigation involving roof-crush defects and tire failures.
• Car–Train Collision Verdict (1989):
  Jury verdict exceeding $25.5 million in a catastrophic injury case involving warning-system failures. Largest single car train car accident in US History at time of verdict.
• Wave Pool Product Liability Litigation (1989):
  A case that reshaped water-park safety standards nationwide after a child suffered permanent anoxic brain injury, by setting a new standard with underwater cameras in wave pools.
• Firestone ATX / Ford Explorer Rollover Cases (1997–1998):
  Early litigation tied to tread-separation defects preceding massive recalls. Millions of Firestone tires recalled nationwide.
• Ford F-150 Fire Death Investigation (2005):
  Evidence preservation and defect proof that contributed to NHTSA pressure and recall activity involving millions of vehicles. This case led to the recall of nine million vehicles.
• Tire Inflator Explosions:  For twenty years multiple manufacturers sold dangerous can of its tire fixers to fix-a-flat tire. All contained flammable gases. After four catastrophic injury cases, including total blindness, 2^nd and 3^rd degree burns, traumatic amputation and disfigurement, Willis forced the nation’s biggest manufacturers to change their formulas to non-explosive, no doubt saving injuries and deaths for decades to come.
• Child-Proof Cap Lawsuit:  The nation’s largest pharmacy failed to have a nationwide policy as to the enforcement of child proof caps, Willis’s client was a 4-yr old girl that opened the easy off cap on her own medicine and overdosed, resulting in profound brain damage leaving her in a wheelchair for life. Out of court settlement for over $22 million (Texas -1995)
• And decades of more cases.

This background matters because Takata inflator cases are recall-scale defect cases, not routine personal injury claims.

Why Takata Airbag Cases Require a Specialized Lawyer

Takata airbag claims demand knowledge far beyond ordinary auto accident law, including:

• Inflator and airbag engineering failures
• Ammonium-nitrate instability science
• NHTSA recall classifications (including Alpha inflators)
• Do Not Drive warnings and recall escalation
• Multi-defendant product-liability strategy
• Statutes of limitation and statute of repose issues
• Coordination with engineers, metallurgists, and medical experts

Many general personal injury lawyers miss critical defect indicators, allow vehicles to be destroyed, or misunderstand filing deadlines. Others pursue quick settlements against the at-fault driver, unintentionally undermining a valid Takata defect claim. These mistakes can permanently destroy a case.

Understanding the Takata Inflator Defect

Takata airbags fail due to a combination of:

• Ammonium-nitrate propellant degradation
• Moisture intrusion
• Heat and temperature cycling over time
• Inflator canister rupture under extreme pressure

When rupture occurs, metal shrapnel is violently expelled into the passenger compartment, causing:

• Facial and eye injuries
• Penetrating neck and chest wounds
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Permanent disfigurement or death

Many victims initially believe they were shot or stabbed—only later learning the airbag itself caused the injury.

How a Takata Lawyer Builds the Case 

Effective Takata litigation requires a structured, evidence-driven approach.

Engineering Evidence

• Inflator fragments
• Shrapnel trajectories
• Steering-wheel and airbag module damage
• ECU and crash data

Recall & VIN Analysis

• Alpha inflators
• Regional recall history
• Do Not Drive classifications

Corporate Knowledge Proof

• Internal documents showing known dangers

Injury Documentation

• Embedded metal fragments
• Scarring, blindness, TBI
• Catastrophic or fatal injuries

Evidence Preservation

Because evidence preservation is critical in an airbag injury case, preventing vehicle destruction is often the most important early step.

Nationwide Representation

Licensed in Texas and New York, Willis represents injured clients nationwide through vetted local co-counsel to ensure:

• Proper jurisdiction and venue
• State-specific filing compliance
• Access to local courts
• National-level investigative resource

Common Questions About Hiring a Takata Airbag Lawyer

• How much does it cost to hire a Takata airbag lawyer?
  There is no upfront cost. Takata airbag cases are handled on a contingency-fee basis, meaning legal fees are only paid if compensation is recovered.
• What types of damages are available in a Takata airbag lawsuit?
  Damages may include medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, mental anguish, disfigurement, permanent disability, and wrongful death damages, depending on state law.
• Can families file wrongful death claims involving Takata airbags?
  When a defective Takata inflator causes or contributes to a fatal injury, surviving family members may pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against responsible parties.
• How do I know if my injuries were caused by a Takata airbag defect?
  Injuries involving metal shrapnel, deep penetration, facial trauma, eye injuries, or injuries disproportionate to the crash severity often indicate an inflator rupture. A lawyer can review medical records, vehicle evidence, and recall history.
• What if my vehicle was recalled but never repaired?
  You may still have legal options if an unrepaired Takata inflator caused or worsened your injuries. Failure to complete a recall does not automatically eliminate manufacturer liability.
• Is a Takata airbag case different from a regular car accident claim?
  Takata cases involve product-liability law, engineering analysis, recall history, and multiple defendants, not just driver negligence.
• How long do I have to file a Takata airbag lawsuit?
  Deadlines vary by state and may involve statutes of limitation or statutes of repose. Missing a filing deadline can permanently bar recovery, making early legal review critical.
• What evidence is important in a Takata airbag case?
  Key evidence includes the vehicle, deployed airbag, inflator fragments, medical records, recall notices, and crash data. Early evidence preservation is often decisive.
• Can my case be handled if the crash occurred outside Texas?
  Takata airbags were installed nationwide. Cases are filed where jurisdiction is proper, often with local co-counsel to ensure state-specific compliance.
• What makes a lawyer qualified to handle Takata airbag cases?
  Experience with complex product-liability litigation, recall-scale defects, engineering evidence, and trial-level advocacy is essential in Takata cases.

Speak With a Takata Airbag Lawyer Today 

If you or a loved one were injured—or killed—by a defective Takata airbag, you deserve a product defect attorney who understands the science, product recalls, and deadlines involved.

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