Injured By a Takata Airbag in 2024? Here’s What You Need to Know

Oct 14, 2024Crash-Related Injuries

While it has been nearly a decade since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ordered a nationwide recall of Takata’s defective airbags, many people still have vehicles equipped with these dangerous “safety” devices. As a result, the risk of suffering a Takata airbag injury remains a very real concern. While individuals who suffer Takata airbag injuries have clear legal rights, victims of airbag-related injuries must be very careful to protect their ability to recover just compensation.

10 Important Facts for Victims of Takata Airbag Injuries

With this in mind, if you were injured by a defective Takata airbag in 2024, here are 10 important facts you need to know:

1. Victims of Takata Airbag Injuries Are Entitled to Just Compensation

As we mentioned already, individuals who suffer Takata airbag injuries have clear legal rights. These include the right to seek just compensation for their injury-related losses. If you are facing the long-term financial and non-financial costs of a Takata airbag injury, you may be able to recover these costs with the help of an experienced airbag attorney.

2. You Will Need an Experienced Attorney on Your Side

To recover the costs of your Takata airbag injury, you will need an experienced attorney on your side. This is not a type of claim that you want to try to handle on your own. Recovering the financial compensation you deserve requires the ability to prove that your injuries are the result of an airbag defect. It also requires the ability to prove the financial and non-financial costs you are likely to incur in the future. Both of these require experienced legal representation.

3. You Can Hire an Attorney at No Out-of-Pocket Cost

Fortunately, you can hire an attorney to help with your Takata airbag injury claim at no out-of-pocket cost. Our attorneys handle these claims on a contingency-fee basis. This means our clients pay nothing if they win—and, if they win, our legal fees are calculated as a percentage of their settlement or verdict. As a result, you will take home financial compensation if your claim is successful.

4. Takata Airbag Injury Claims Are Very Different from Typical Auto Insurance Claims

Another reason to hire an experienced attorney is that Takata airbag injury claims are very different from typical auto insurance claims. Instead of proving that your injuries are the result of another driver’s negligence, recovering just compensation involves proving that your vehicle’s airbag was defective. It also involves dealing with your vehicle’s manufacturer (and its insurance company and defense lawyers) directly.

5. The Auto Manufacturers Are Liable for Takata’s Defective Airbags

This brings us to another important point: The auto manufacturers are liable for Takata’s defective airbags. As a result, even though Takata has filed for bankruptcy, individuals who suffer airbag-related injuries still can (and should) take legal action. Product liability laws in all 50 states hold auto manufacturers strictly liable for all of the components they install in their vehicles—whether they manufacture these components themselves or not.

6. The Financial Costs of Airbag-Related Injuries Can Be Substantial

If you have a Takata airbag injury claim, you are entitled to just compensation for all of the financial costs of your injuries. These costs can be substantial. Chest injuries, facial injuries, and other common types of airbag injuries will lead to a lifetime of medical expenses and lost wages in many cases. These are all costs that an experienced attorney will be able to help you seek to recover.

7. The Non-Financial Costs Can Be Substantial, Too

Along with financial costs, airbag-related injuries can lead to substantial non-financial costs as well. These include things like:

Emotional trauma
Post-traumatic stress
Pain and suffering
Scarring and disfigurement
Loss of companionship and consortium
Loss of enjoyment of life
Loss of society, services, and support

Calculating just compensation for these costs involves gaining a clear understanding of all of the ways your injuries impact your life—and will continue to impact your life for years or decades to come. Your attorney can help with this as well, working with you, your doctors, and other experts to ensure that you are seeking the full compensation you deserve.

8. Unnecessary Delays Can Lead to Unnecessary Challenges

In most cases, individuals who suffer a Takata airbag injury have at least a year, if not several years, to file a claim. However, it is still important that you take legal action as soon as possible. This is because unnecessary delays can lead to unnecessary challenges. From proving that your airbag was defective to proving that your injuries are airbag-related, nearly all aspects of your claim will be easier if you hire an experienced attorney as soon as possible.

9. You Need to Prioritize Your Recovery

In this same vein, it is extremely important that you prioritize your recovery. This applies across the board—from your physical and psychological recovery to recovering the financial compensation you deserve. If you have been injured by a defective Takata airbag, doing everything you possibly can to promote your recovery will be well worth it in the end.

10. Scheduling a Free Consultation is the First Step

Finally, if you think you may be entitled to financial compensation for a Takata airbag injury, scheduling a free consultation is the first step toward recovering the compensation you deserve. You can contact us to schedule an appointment 24/7, and once you get in touch, we will arrange for you to speak with an experienced attorney about your legal rights promptly.

Do You Have a Takata Airbag Injury Claim? Find Out for Free

Do you need to know more about filing a Takata airbag injury claim? If so, we can help, and we strongly encourage you to get in touch. We represent victims and families nationwide. To schedule a free consultation with an experienced attorney as soon as possible, please call 866-247-2247 or tell us how we can reach you online today.