Injuries from Defective and Recalled Takata & ARC Airbags

Airbag recalls continue to expose drivers and passengers to serious and often unexpected injury risks. While airbags are designed to save lives, defective airbag systems have instead caused severe injuries and deaths when they malfunction or explode during deployment. Among all recalled airbags, Takata airbags stand apart for both the scale of the recall and the catastrophic nature of the injuries involved.

Although other manufacturers, including ARC Automotive, have issued recalls, the overwhelming majority of severe airbag injury cases stem from Takata’s defective inflator design, which affected tens of millions of vehicles and continues to injure people years after installation.

Understanding current airbag recalls, how these defects occur, and the types of injuries they cause is essential for protecting your safety and understanding when legal action may be required.

Why Airbags Have to Be Recalled

Airbag recalls are issued when a defect creates an unreasonable risk of injury or death. Unlike mechanical recalls involving steering, brakes, or suspension, airbag recalls often involve sudden, violent failures that occur during otherwise survivable crashes.

Common reasons airbags are recalled include defective inflator designs, unstable propellants, structural weaknesses in metal canisters, and manufacturing defects that prevent safe pressure containment. In the most dangerous cases, recalled airbags do not simply fail to inflate properly — they rupture explosively, ejecting metal fragments into the passenger compartment.

The Takata Airbag Recall Crisis        

The Takata airbag recall is the largest automotive safety recall in history. Takata supplied defective inflators to dozens of automakers over more than a decade, installing dangerous components in millions of vehicles sold worldwide.

The core defect involves Takata’s use of ammonium nitrate as a propellant without a moisture-absorbing drying agent. Over time, exposure to heat, humidity, and temperature cycling causes the chemical to degrade and become unstable.

When a degraded Takata inflator deploys, the propellant can burn too rapidly, causing a sudden spike in internal pressure. Instead of inflating safely, the metal inflator housing can rupture, sending sharp metal fragments outward at high speed. These failures explain why Takata airbag defects and injuries are treated differently from ordinary airbag or crash claims.

Ongoing Risk from Unrepaired Takata Airbags       

Despite years of recalls, millions of Takata airbags remain unrepaired. Recall notices are missed, vehicles change ownership, and older cars remain on the road long after installation.

As inflators age, propellant degradation worsens, ruptures become more violent, and injury severity increases. This is why Do Not Drive warnings continue to be issued and why Takata injuries are still occurring today.

ARC Automotive Airbag Recalls       

While Takata accounts for the vast majority of catastrophic airbag injuries, ARC Automotive inflators have also been linked to recalls involving inflator ruptures. ARC defects differ from Takata’s chemical instability and instead focus on manufacturing and weld defects in the metal inflator canister.

When these defects are present, the inflator housing may crack or burst during deployment, allowing metal fragments to escape into the cabin. Although ARC airbag injuries and recall cases are far fewer in number, the resulting injuries can still be severe.

Types of Injuries Caused by Defective Airbags       

Defective airbag injuries differ from typical crash injuries because they frequently involve penetrating trauma, not blunt force.

Shrapnel and metal fragment injuries occur when inflator housings rupture, sending jagged metal into the face, neck, chest, arms, or legs. Victims often suffer severe bleeding, nerve damage, and permanent scarring. These injuries are explored further in resources addressing defective airbags, inflators, and components and their failure mechanisms.

Facial injuries may include broken bones, deep lacerations, dental trauma, and permanent disfigurement. Eye injuries can involve corneal damage, retinal detachment, or permanent blindness. Chest injuries may include punctured lungs, fractured ribs, and internal bleeding. Traumatic brain injuries can occur when fragments strike the head or penetrate the skull.

Why Takata Airbag Injuries Are Severe, Often Misdiagnosed, and Long-Lasting     

One of the most alarming aspects of Takata airbag failures is that serious injuries frequently occur in low-speed or moderate crashes. In many cases, vehicle damage is minimal, yet occupants suffer catastrophic harm. This disproportion between crash severity and injury severity strongly indicates that a defective airbag inflator—not collision force—was the primary cause of injury.

In the immediate aftermath of a crash, emergency responders and medical providers often assume injuries resulted from vehicle impact or broken glass. However, Takata-related airbag injuries typically involve unique trauma patterns that differ from ordinary crash injuries, including:

• Deep, penetrating wounds inconsistent with crash force
• Irregular wound paths caused by metal fragments
• Embedded shrapnel not explained by vehicle damage
• Severe injuries occurring in otherwise survivable crashes

When a defective airbag is not identified early, appropriate diagnostic imaging, surgical intervention, and preservation of critical evidence may be delayed—directly affecting both medical outcomes and legal accountability.

Takata airbag injuries also frequently result in long-term or permanent consequences that extend well beyond the initial emergency treatment. Victims may face:

• Multiple reconstructive or corrective surgeries
• Chronic pain and mobility limitations
• Permanent vision loss or traumatic brain injury
• Psychological trauma, including anxiety and post-traumatic stress

These lasting effects are a central component of damages analysis in airbag injury litigation and help distinguish Takata defect cases from ordinary auto accident claims

What to Do After a Takata Airbag Injury or Recall Notice 

If your vehicle is subject to an airbag recall, it is critical to check your VIN regularly and follow all manufacturer safety instructions immediately—especially if a Do Not Drive warning has been issued. Continuing to drive a vehicle with an unrepaired Takata inflator places drivers and passengers at ongoing and escalating risk.

After an airbag deployment that causes injury, taking prompt and informed action can protect both your health and legal rights. Injured individuals should:

• Seek immediate medical attention, even if injuries appear minor
• Preserve the vehicle and deployed airbag in its post-crash condition
• Photograph injuries, interior damage, and airbag components
• Save recall notices, medical records, and repair documentation

Following guidance on what to do after an explosion and ensuring early evidence preservation can be decisive in establishing that a defective airbag—not the collision—caused the injury.

Legal Options After a Defective Takata Airbag Injury 

Airbag recall injuries are not ordinary car accident cases. Victims may pursue compensation through product liability claims against airbag manufacturers and automakers. Those harmed by Takata inflators may be eligible to file a Takata inflator injury lawsuit seeking compensation for medical costs, lost income, pain and suffering, permanent disability, disfigurement, or wrongful death.

Don’t delay getting legal help. Filing deadlines or the statute of limitations starts running form te date of the accident. In some states it may be short as one year. The evidence preservation in a airbag case is critical. Talk to a lawyer and understand better your legal rights. Don’t Wait.

Free Airbag Injury Case Review

If you or a loved one were injured by a recalled airbag—especially a Takata inflator—you may have important legal rights.

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