Port Charlotte And Surrounding Area Volkswagen Owners Looking At Airbag Safety Recall
Mark A. Steinberg
Recalls
Many Volkswagen owners in Port Charlotte and the surrounding areas are facing serious safety recalls with their vehicles. The safety recall has to do with the brand’s used in some of their most popular models – the Beetle, Passat, Eos, Golf, and GTI so far – and potential airbag explosions if the airbag is deployed. This massive recall is expected to affect more than 370,000 vehicles in a 3-phase recall taking place over the course of the next 5 years. Takata Airbag Safety Concerns
The Takata airbag inflators used in the recalled Volkswagen models have been found to have faulty inflators. When the airbag is deployed, the inflator inside of the airbag has the potential to explode, sending sharp shards of metal fragments out with the airbag and into the facial area of the driver and passenger. According to the NHTSA, or National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, these defective airbag inflators have led to 19 deaths and more than 250 injuries so far in the United States alone.
Because these airbag inflators have been found by a regulatory committee to degrade slowly, a 3-phase system has been chosen to recall affected models by year over the course of the next 5 years. The first phase began in 2021 and included Beetles and other models of the years 2012 to 2014. The second phase is slated to begin in January of 2023 and includes years 2015 and 2016, while the third phase is projected to begin in 2025 with the 2017 to 2019 years of affected models.
What To Do If Your Vehicle Is Recalled
If your vehicle is recalled in the Port Charlotte region, you’ll likely receive a notice from Volkswagen. If you do not receive a notice, you may look up your vehicle by VIN number on VW.com/recalls to see if your vehicle is part of the recall. When your vehicle has been recalled, you may bring it to any local Volkswagen dealership to have the airbags and inflators completely replaced at no cost to you. Recalls do not have an expiration date, and you may choose a convenient time to bring your vehicle in to have the recalled airbags replaced. However, with the number of injuries and fatalities already caused by faulty airbags and inflators, choosing to wait to have your vehicle repaired is not recommended.
How Is The Replacement Airbag Safer?
When Volkswagen replaces the aging Takata airbags and inflators they are replacing them with new airbags that do not contain the ammonium nitrate believed to cause the explosion issue as the vehicle and airbag ages. It has been found that the phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate used in the Takata airbag inflators degrades the inflator over time as it’s exposed to humidity and high temperatures. By using airbags and inflators that do not use ammonium nitrate, Volkswagen owners do not need to worry about the dangerous degradation of their airbag systems.
What If I Am Injured?
If your Volkswagen vehicle in the Port Charlotte area has not yet been recalled, but you find yourself in an accident with a dangerous faulty airbag, you may be able to seek compensation. The defective Takata airbag inflators may cause sharp metal fragments to pierce or lacerate the driver and passenger in an accident that causes the airbags to deploy, and the hot and humid Florida weather creates the perfect conditions for this airbag inflator degradation. If you own one of the affected Volkswagen models that has not yet been recalled, and you’ve been injured by the defective Takata airbag, contact a skilled personal injury attorney to see what your options for compensation may be.