Takata Airbags That Take Lives While They Should Be Saving Lives

Airbags, one of the most effective measures taken against fatal accidents in automobiles, can be produced by only a few companies in the world. In this sector, where there are few manufacturers due to the difficulties experienced in the production and testing stages, One of the biggest scandals in automotive history happened.

The Takata brand may not be familiar to you, but automobile manufacturers know this brand very well. Japanese airbag manufacturer Takata, until the problem with the inflation mechanism of the airbags it produced in the 2000s, was used in the automotive industry. Making a name for itself with reliable hardware It was a company. Let’s take a look at this process from the beginning, which caused fatal and injured accidents, pushed the giant company into bankruptcy, and caused losses to 19 different automobile manufacturers.

It all started in the late 1990s when Takata wanted to produce airbag inflation mechanisms using ammonium nitrate.

Until that time, there had been no serious problems with the airbags produced by Takata. That’s why many car manufacturers were working with Takata. The designed new generation airbags were subjected to certain tests and their production was approved. Later deaths and injuries At that time, airbags that would cause damage began to be placed in the vehicles of automobile manufacturers that Takata had agreements with.

The process was going well for Takata and other manufacturers. Vehicles carrying Takata’s problematic airbag inflation mechanism, It was starting to clear traffic and no problems had been reported. It was like the calm before the storm.

A document that emerged in 2000 caused a stir in the automotive industry.

In the document containing Takata’s internal company notes, airbag inflators were not working properly during the testing phase and it was stated that some of them exploded. The US Department of Justice took immediate action and began investigating the situation.

After a long investigation, a criminal agreement was made with an unnamed Takata executive in 2004. The Takata manager would confess to what happened and his sentence would be reduced. Company manager says test results of airbag inflation mechanisms being manipulated He confessed and Takata’s crime became official.

Exactly 3 months after the Takata executive’s confession, an accident in which the airbags exploded was reported.

According to the report, one of the airbags of the 2001 model Honda Accord was used in the accident in the US state of Alabama. It exploded after opening. This accident in 2004 was followed by 3 cases of exploding airbags in 2007. Accident reports were again coming from Honda. Users’ perception of Honda began to change and the company’s reputation began to be damaged, and the first recall, caused by faulty airbags, took place.

Honda, the company most affected by problematic airbags, was Recalled 4000 cars. The company, which replaced the airbag mechanisms free of charge, announced that they cared about the safety of their customers and therefore recalled the vehicles.

Unfortunately, this initiative of Honda could not prevent fatal accidents. In 2009, a driver driving a 2001 Honda Accord in Oklahoma was hit by a burst airbag and pieces of shrapnel scattered around He lost his life because of it.

Honda, which took action again after the fatal accident, recalled more than half a million cars in the same year.

These recalls on Honda’s side would later spread to other giant companies in the industry. The recall of half a million vehicles in 2009 made a sensation all over the world. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, rolled up its sleeves to investigate the incident. But then the company recalled the vehicles and acted responsibly decided to terminate the investigation on the grounds that

NHTSA, which reopened the file in 2014, had no intention of pursuing this case this time. NHTSA, which conducted a detailed investigation, imposed the first fine on Takata in 2015. For every day that the Japanese manufacturer does not answer NHTSA’s questions about the problem $14,000 He was sentenced to pay. While NHTSA was waiting for a response from Takata, the number of fatal accidents caused by airbags had increased to six.

When the calendar showed May 18, 2015, Takata announced that it took full responsibility.

Stating that some of the products it developed may be defective, Takata reached an agreement with NHTSA. Japanese manufacturer, 200 million dollars He also agreed to pay compensation. In addition, in the agreement, it was decided to recall 32 million vehicles with problematic airbags from automobile manufacturers, including BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru and Toyota.

2016 would be an even worse year for Takata. The number of fatal accidents increased to 10 and Including 35-40 million vehicles The decision to recall put Takata in a corner. What happened took its place in history as the largest recall in the USA.

2017 would be the beginning of a period in which Takata raised the white flag.

The ongoing court case in the USA was concluded and the company was ordered to pay a penalty of 1 billion dollars. 125 million dollars out of 1 billion dollars will go to the families of those who lost their lives in the accident. 850 million would be paid to automobile manufacturers. The remaining 25 million was deducted to the company as punishment for the crime it committed.

Japanese manufacturer Takata could not withstand these penalties and on July 26, 2017 filing for bankruptcy found. While the recalls have continued unabated since then, Takata continues to pay the fines imposed on it.

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