Recent reports have been published regarding the dangerous issue and recall notices associated with airbags which were manufactured by Takata Corporation of Japan. According to multiple complaints filed, the chemical inside the airbag, which makes it inflate, explodes with such force that it causes a metal inflator to shatter into pieces. The metal shrapnel is spewed into the passenger’s side of the vehicle. So far, these defective airbags, installed in numerous make and model vehicles, have killed at least six people and injured hundreds of others.

However, this week the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have announced that Takata is recalling 33.8 million airbags and is finally admitting that the airbags they manufactured are defective. The agreement between the federal regulators and the company has taken over one year to reach.

Almost a dozen automakers have previously issued recalls of approximately 17 million airbags nationwide, including Toyota and Honda. Now that Takata has doubled the number of airbags which are being recalled, this recall will be the largest recall in U.S. history.

There have been previous media reports that both Takata and Honda were aware of the dangers of the airbags as early as 2004. Instead of notifying federal officials of the problem, Takata ordered its engineers to destroy all documents and other physical evidence which revealed the defective.

In 2007 and 2008, Honda settled cases with several other victims of defective airbags, yet did not act on the information they had. In 2009, there was one report of a woman who “bled to death in front of her three children” when metal shrapnel from a defective airbag exploded into the woman’s neck and chest.

There are multiple models of vehicles which are affected by the Takata recall. Car manufactures include Acura, BMW, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Honda, Infiniti, Lexus, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan Pontiac, Saab, Subaru and Toyota.

If you have been injured by a defective product, please contact an experienced Westport personal injury attorney to find out what legal recourse you may have against the manufacturer of the product. Call Richard H. Raphael, Attorney at Law, today at 203-226-6168 to schedule a free case evaluation.

Imagine taking your toddler for a walk in a baby stroller. You open the stroller, securely fasten the safety belt, and then off the two of you go. However, your child suddenly begins screaming and you realize that your child’s finger has been caught in the stroller’s hinge and his or her fingertip has been chopped off. According to a recall notice issued by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), this is what happened to at least 11 different children.

Six children suffered full amputation of fingertips, four children suffered partial amputation of fingertips, and one child suffered a serious laceration. The product’s defect is in the hinge, which may not lock fully into place when opening up the stroller. Not only can a child’s fingers become caught in the open hinge, but the stroller may also begin to close with the baby still in it.

The recall involves 11 different models of strollers manufactured by Graco and Century. Moreover, the recall itself involves almost 5 million units sold in the United States, 202,000 sold in Canada, and 10,300 units sold in Mexico.

The strollers were manufactured between 2000 and 2014. All are single-occupant style and include the following models: Aspen, Breeze, Capri, Cirrus, Glider, Kite, LiteRider, Sierra, Solara, Sterling and TravelMate. Graco, however, is offering a hinge repair kit.

This is the second major recall that Graco has had to issue for baby products in less than a year. In February, the company was forced to recall over 4 million car seats after receiving numerous complaints of the safety buckles becoming locked up, and parents unable to remove their babies from the seats. Many parents were forced to actually cut the harnesses in order to get their child out of the seat, thus creating a very dangerous situation in the event of an accident in which a vehicle fire occurred.

If your child suffered a fingertip amputation caused by a Graco Stroller, contact an experienced Westport personal injury attorney to discuss your case and any legal recourse to which you may be entitled.