How Can an Exploding Takata Inflator Cause a TBI?
When a Takata airbag inflator ruptures, the explosive force can cause more than visible facial injuries. In many cases, the violent deployment or metal fragmentation leads to blunt force head trauma and traumatic brain injury (TBI). These injuries can permanently alter cognitive function, emotional regulation, and physical coordination.
Unlike routine concussions from minor collisions, traumatic brain injuries associated with defective airbag deployments often involve sudden acceleration-deceleration forces combined with explosive impact. The head may strike the steering wheel, windshield, or side frame while the inflator simultaneously ruptures.
A Takata traumatic brain injury lawyer must investigate not only the crash dynamics but also the inflator defect, recall history, and engineering failure. These cases are complex product liability lawsuits involving allegations of defective design and failure to warn.
How Takata Airbag Failures Can Cause Brain Injuries
Takata airbags were manufactured using ammonium nitrate propellant that could degrade over time. When exposed to prolonged heat and humidity, the propellant may become unstable. During deployment, the inflator housing can rupture instead of inflating safely. The resulting explosion can create multiple injury mechanisms affecting the brain:
- Sudden blast overpressure
- High-velocity metal fragment impact
- Violent head acceleration and rotation
- Secondary impact with interior vehicle components
- Penetrating head trauma from debris
The rupture mechanism behind these failures is closely examined in litigation involving metal shrapnel injuries caused by Takata inflator explosions, where internal canister fragmentation is frequently documented. Even without penetrating trauma, rapid rotational forces alone can produce significant brain injury.
Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries in Takata Lawsuits
Traumatic brain injuries vary in severity, but even so-called “mild” TBIs can produce long-term cognitive impairment. In defective airbag cases, brain injuries often occur simultaneously with facial trauma or eye damage.
Common brain injuries in Takata TBI lawsuits include:
- Concussions
- Contusions (brain bruising)
- Diffuse axonal injury
- Intracranial hemorrhage
- Skull fractures
- Penetrating brain injuries
- Post-traumatic seizure disorders
- Permanent cognitive impairment
In many cases, victims also suffer severe facial trauma consistent with Takata facial disfigurement and laceration injuries, particularly when the inflator ruptures directly toward the driver. Some individuals experience overlapping visual impairment, as discussed in cases involving Takata airbag–related eye injuries and blindness.
Long-Term Effects of Traumatic Brain Injury
The consequences of a brain injury often extend far beyond the initial hospitalization. Many individuals experience:
- Memory loss
- Impaired concentration
- Mood instability
- Personality changes
- Headaches
- Balance problems
- Sensory disturbances
- Reduced executive functioning
Because brain injuries may not be immediately visible on standard imaging, early legal and medical evaluation is critical. Permanent TBI can significantly affect earning capacity and independence.
Call 1-866-AIRBAGS to Speak to a Board-Certified Personal Injury Trial Lawyer about your airbag injury case
When to Contact a Takata Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney
If a Takata airbag deployment resulted in head trauma or cognitive symptoms, immediate legal consultation is advisable. These cases involve more than driver negligence, or an auto insurance claim — they may involve corporate liability for defective inflator design.
A Takata TBI attorney must evaluate:
- The inflator model and recall phase
- Whether rupture occurred
- Crash reconstruction data
- Medical imaging and neurological evaluation
- Preservation of the airbag module
An attorney handling airbag brain injury lawsuits will:
- Secure and prevent vehicle sale or destruction
- Assist in finding a sold or auctioned vehicle
- Securing the vehicle as evidence in a locked warehouse
- Coordinate engineering inspection of vehicle
- Retain brain injury / neurological experts
- Evaluate eligibility for a Takata defect Injury Lawsuit
- File a product liability lawsuit when appropriate
If the vehicle is repaired or destroyed before inspection, critical defect evidence may be lost. Don’t wait, let us help locate the vehicle, secure and move it to a safer location. Even if you think it’s been salvaged, we may be able to find it.
Manufacturers Frequently Involved in Takata Brain Injury Cases
Although Takata airbags were installed in numerous brands, certain manufacturers have been disproportionately involved in documented rupture incidents.
Head injuries from defective Takata airbags have frequently involved vehicles made by these manufacturers
- Honda Acura
- Toyota Nissan
- Ford BMW
- Mazda Chevrolet and others
- Lexus Volkswagen
A significant number of inflator rupture cases have been associated with models identified among Honda and Acura vehicles equipped with defective Takata inflators, which have historically accounted for a substantial portion of reported eye, facial and head injuries. The broader engineering and recall history underlying these cases is addressed in discussions concerning Takata airbag recall overview regarding the recall, criminal changes and bankruptcy.
Compensation in a Takata TBI Lawsuit
Traumatic brain injury cases often involve substantial damages due to lifelong cognitive and functional impairment. Accurate valuation requires collaboration with neurologists, vocational experts, and life-care planners.
Compensation in a Takata brain injury lawsuit may include:
- Past and future medical treatment
- Neurological evaluation / surgeries
- Imaging and diagnostic testing
- Rehabilitation therapy
- Future medical care
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Permanent impairment damages
- Loss of earning capacity
In catastrophic cases resulting in fatal head trauma, litigation may involve wrongful death claims arising from Takata airbag ruptures. An experienced defective airbag injury lawyer can evaluate both present and future economic losses.
Consultation With a Takata Brain Injury Lawyer
Takata traumatic brain injury lawsuits are complex product liability matters that require far more than routine accident investigation. Establishing that a brain injury was caused or aggravated by a ruptured inflator demands preservation of the airbag module, engineering analysis of the inflator housing, crash reconstruction, and careful review of recall history and manufacturing records. These cases often require coordination with neurologists, neuropsychologists, biomechanical engineers, and defect experts to demonstrate how explosive deployment forces or metal fragmentation contributed to traumatic brain injury.
David P. Willis has been a Board-Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law for over 35 years and has decades of experience representing clients in serious product liability litigation against manufacturers and automotive companies. Board certification reflects tested trial experience and a demonstrated commitment to handling complex catastrophic injury claims at the highest level. Our firm represents clients under a contingency fee agreement. That means there are no attorney’s fees or litigation expenses unless compensation is recovered. You pay nothing upfront.
If you or a loved one suffered a traumatic brain injury following a Takata airbag deployment, do not delay. The vehicle and inflator must be preserved, neurological symptoms must be properly documented, and statutory filing deadlines may apply. Early investigation can be critical to protecting your rights and securing the evidence necessary to prove a defective airbag claim.
Contact us today for a free consultation to review your potential Takata traumatic brain injury lawsuit and determine the next steps toward pursuing compensation.