Traveling in motor vehicles is a relatively dangerous practice that most modern Americans don’t think twice about performing. Motor vehicles dominate our culture, with many employers refusing to even consider new employees who don’t have their own transportation and many cities failing to offer truly viable public transportation.
In order to feel comfortable with integrating this relatively dangerous habit into their daily lives, many adults choose to ignore the risks associated with driving. They may tell themselves that with vehicle proper maintenance and careful driving habits they don’t have to worry about any risk to themselves or their passengers. They may believe that the safety systems in their vehicle, including their airbags and seat belts, will keep them safe in the event that they do experience a major collision.
Unfortunately, sometimes those very systems that you most depend on for your safety could fail and leave you vulnerable. For years now, defective Takata brand airbags have been the impetus for recall after recall, with automakers both domestic and foreign replacing defective and dangerous airbags in hundreds of thousands of vehicles. Now, yet another recall has begun, this time involving imported BMW vehicles, some of which may have previously had repairs made due to earlier recalls.
Over a third of a million BMW vehicles have potentially defective airbags
BMW has already had to conduct recalls related to Takata airbags, and some of the previously recalled vehicles may be part of this newest recall. You should not assume that just because you have previously taken your vehicle in to have a recall-related airbag replacement or repair performed that your vehicle is now safe to drive.
Anyone driving a BMW vehicle produced between 2000 and 2013 should verify whether their vehicle is part of this recall. The X1, X3, X5, X6, 1 Series and 3 Series vehicles could all have issues with their Takata airbags, and many of them had to have repairs done as part of an earlier, temporary recall replacement. The permanent replacement parts are now available, which is why even those who have had their vehicles checked before may need additional work.
Victims of defective vehicle components have legal rights
When the safety and restraint systems in your vehicle don’t operate as intended, the results could be catastrophic injuries or even a fatality. Whether you were in the vehicle when Takata airbags improperly inflated or you lost a loved one because of this ongoing issue, you have rights as an American consumer.
Those rights may include holding the manufacturer or the retailer responsible for the defective product that endangered you and the people you love. Recalls do not fully excuse a company from liability, especially when there are delays in instituting a permanent solution, as there were in this case.
