According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Toyota Motor North America, Inc. is recalling 495,470 vehicles due to a defect in the driver’s side air bag. Over time, the spiral cable assembly, also known as the clockspring, which powers the driver’s side air bag module may become damaged by steering wheel vibration. If such damage occurs, the air bag warning light will turn on and the air bag may deactivate and fail to deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of suffering serious injury.
This recall affects model year 2005-2009 Tacoma vehicles that were manufactured from September 14, 2004 through August 29, 2008. Toyota will notify owners of the recalled vehicles and dealers will replace the defective spiral cable assembly at no-cost. The recall is expected to start at the beginning of April 2012. For additional information, owners can call Toyota at (800) 331-4331.
Air bags are important safety features of a vehicle. When functioning properly, they can effectively protect vehicle occupants from serious injury. However, air bags which are defective or malfunctioning increase the risk of injury. In some cases, defects may cause an air bag to deploy inadvertently, in which case the injuries a vehicle occupant suffers may be directly caused by the air bag. If the air bag fails to deploy entirely, then the vehicle occupant is not adequately protected against the force of a crash.
If you or a loved one has been injured in New Jersey as the result of a defective air bag, the experienced New Jersey defective air bag attorneys at Blume Forte can examine the details of your accident in order to determine whether you may have a valid claim against the vehicle’s manufacturer. To find out whether your potential claim may have merit, call us at (973) 6350-5400 for a no-cost consultation.