Five automakers have been implicated in a Takata airbag lawsuit which claims the brands knew about the risk of the airbags rupturing but continued to use them.
A class-action lawsuit in Florida says that Ford, Honda, Nissan and Toyota all had internal documents that suggested cost considerations influenced the automakers’ decision to start using Takata airbags in the early 2000s despite pre-existing safety concerns with them. The suit also points to circumstantial evidence that BMW was involved in an alleged cover-up.
In a statement, Honda asserts that the allegations are false and said “Honda reasonably believed, based on extensive test results provided by Takata, that they were safe.” The Japanese company also says that sometimes Takata airbags were more expensive than their competitors.
Ford, Nissan and Toyota have yet to provide public comment about the allegations.
The lawsuit in question was filed shortly before Takata pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud for providing false data and fined $1 billion.
The Florida suit asserts that the automakers were more deeply involved in the handling of the defect than previously thought, reports The New York Times. Of particular concern for the plantiffs of this suit is that only $125 million of Takata’s fine will be allocated to victims of the faulty airbags while $850 million will be dedicated to a fund to help automakers offset ongoing recall costs.
PHOTO GALLERY
