Massachusetts Personal Injury Library
Common Airbag Safety Problems
While airbags can greatly reduce the risk of injury and death, design flaws and manufacturing defects can actually cause harm to passengers and drivers.
Several airbag safety problems have been identified due to the failure to deploy when necessary, and unnecessary airbag deployment in low-speed crashes.
Failure to deploy
The problem of non-deployment of airbags was highlighted in 2007 due to a series of investigative reports.
NHTSA Data
Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that at least 1,400 drivers and front-seat passengers died from 2001 to 2006 in front-impact crashes involving vehicles whose airbags did not deploy.
While it is difficult to ascertain whether or not an airbag would have saved an occupant in such a crash, consumers and families of those killed in similar accidents should be concerned that the airbags are not performing as promised by car manufacturers.
IIHS Data
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently released a report titled, “How Often Do Front Airbags Fail to Deploy in Fatal Frontal Crashes?”
Researchers found that while record-keeping of such incidents needs to be improved by the NHTSA, “the estimated number of front occupant deaths in which front airbags were expected to deploy is of concern.”
Lawsuits filed by families and victims of accidents in which airbags failed to deploy have resulted in settlements with major car manufactures such as Ford and General Motors.
Unnecessary deployment in low-speed crashes
Almost 300 people have died from faulty airbags since 1990, according to the NHTSA.
The most common deployment problem is frontal airbag inflation in low-speed crashes. Several redesigns of airbags have been made since the ‘90s and manufacturers have adjusted the speed at which airbags inflate and other features that would base deployment on crash severity and occupant characteristics.
The majority of people injured or killed in low-speed deployment cases are:
- Infants/Children
- Elderly
- Short stature drivers
Although some manufacturers have attempted to make airbags safer for consumer use, many cars still have older-style airbags and recalls have been made as recently as last year.
If you or someone you love has sustained injuries as the result of an airbag, or an airbag failed to deploy during an accident, contact the Boston airbag injury attorney Thomas Kiley for a FREE CONSULTATION regarding your case.
Call 1-888-208-1695 today.
