Lemon Law News – Toyota Starts New Takata Recall Early
Lemon Laws Protect Toyota Consumers
Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) they will recall nearly 15,000 more vehicles equipped with Takata airbags.
Toyota stated in its safety recall report a “sufficient supply of final remedy inflators” are available for 14,585 2010-2012 Toyota Yaris vehicles, and as such they decided to initiate the recall earlier than the planned window of late 2018.
Think you have a lemon, click here to fill out a 60 second form.
The affected vehicles contain airbag inflators manufactured by Takata. The inflators use non-desiccated phased-stabilized ammonium nitrate wafers as propellant. The inflators consist of a metal cartridge loaded with these wafers. A crash ignites the propellant, expanding the airbags. However, the recalled inflators can rupture, sending metal shards into the car’s passenger cabin. These shards can injure or kill occupants. A USA Today report states the defective inflators killed at least 20 people worldwide, and caused more than 180 injuries.
Approximately 42 million vehicles across the United States are affected by the Takata recall, including 3.3 million additional vehicles reported in a Jan. 7, 2018 USA Today report. That announcement covered model year 2009, 2010 and 2013 vehicles from Honda, Toyota, BMW, Daimler Vans, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru and Tesla.
Takata filed for bankruptcy on June 26, 2017, while still facing billions of dollars in lawsuits over the defective inflators.
Key Safety Systems, a U.S.-based auto component company, bought Takata’s non-airbag related assets for $1.6 billion shortly after Takata filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag assemblies with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin by March 10, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota owners can also visit the NHTSA’s website and enter their VIN to see if their vehicle is included in any recalls.
Your vehicle’s manufacturer is legally required to fix any recalled problems for free. If the dealership refuses to fix the part or tries to charge you for the repair, contact the manufacturer immediately. The Highway Safety Act of 1970, which created the NHTSA, requires car manufacturers to pay for the recall and replacement of a defective part.
If the manufacturer fails to repair, replace, repurchase, or provide your recalled vehicle’s loss value, they are violating the warranty and a lawyer may be able to assist you.
Lemon law attorneys help their clients by dealing directly with the manufacturer on the clients’ behalf, working to promptly resolve the issue and get their clients back on the road. Thanks to the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, attorneys can seek their fees directly from the manufacturer, meaning a client can obtain legal counsel without having to pay attorneys’ fees directly out of pocket.
Please consider adding lemonlawusa.org to your bookmarks or sign up for our free subscription service allowing you to keep up with the latest information about automotive recalls and warranty information.