Toyota and Lexus have issued a recall of an estimated 1.3 million cars that are being driven along Connecticut and other United States roadways this month. All of the vehicles that have been recalled are believed to feature defective and potentially fatal Takata air bags.
Takata, a Japanese auto parts manufacturer, began installing these faulty air bags in the affected vehicles nearly a decade ago. Since 2013, they’ve had numerous lawsuits filed against them on behalf of individuals who have been seriously injured or killed by flying shrapnel when they’ve inflated.
Since the first lawsuit was filed against them, Takata has sought to get to the bottom of what led to its air bag failures. They’ve since been able to determine that their Mexican manufacturing plant likely mishandled the substance that is used to rapidly inflate the air bags. When the affected devices are activated, they propel potentially fatal shrapnel into the direction of passengers.
The widespread recalls of cars equipped with Takata air bags and an increase in lawsuits that were filed against them resulted in them filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy two years ago.
Lexus cars affected by this recall include the GX 460, ES 350, Scion XB and then IS 250, 250C, 350, 350C and IS-F models manufactured between 2010 and 2017.
The Toyota cars that have been recalled are the Sienna, Corolla, 4Runner and Matrix, all sold starting in 2010 and ending in 2016.
While the markings on your vehicle may send a message that it was made by one company, it’s likely that most of its parts were manufactured by someone else. If you’re hurt, identifying what went wrong and who to sue for your injuries can be difficult, especially the more complex the design a product is. An attorney will know who to sue and how to best go about filing suit.
