Shocking documents have been released regarding the falsifying of tests on the dangerous Takata airbags. The airbags have been known to explode when they are deployed. The faulty airbags are linked to 8 deaths in the United States and more than 100 injuries. They eventually led to the recall of some 20 million vehicles.
Internal emails obtained by The New York Times as part of a personal injury lawsuit, include a Takata airbag engineer writing, “Happy Manipulating!!!” Bob Schubert’s email from July 2006 was in reference to results of airbag tests. In a separate email he mentioned changing the colors or lines in a graphic “to divert attention” from the results and “to try to dress it up.”
Takata issued a statement saying the email exchanges were about formatting of data and not related to defective airbags. “To have these kinds of offhand remarks shows that this is a systemic issue at Takata,” said Mark Lillie, a former Takata engineer and whistle-blower.
Controversy has surrounded these airbags since one exploded in a Honda in 2002 but it was originally thought to be an isolated incident. In 2008, Honda recalled 4,000 vehicles to repair the airbags for potential ruptures. It was not until 2014 that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued regional recalls and then months later demanded Takata expand their airbag recall nationwide. Takata did not immediately comply but finally in May of 2015 the company admitted millions of its airbags are defective.
Last fall N.H.T.S.A announced a fine of up to $200 million against Takata. That’s the largest civil punishment ever imposed in the auto industry.
In January 2005, engineer Schubert alerted a colleague in a memo that he had been “repeatedly exposed to the Japanese practice of altering data presented to the customer,” Schubert added that this behavior was described at Takata as “the way we do business in Japan.”
In the memo, Schubert warned that while the data manipulation did not change the fundamental conclusions of the testing, the practice had “gone beyond all reasonable bounds and now most likely constitutes fraud.” He also wrote, “I cannot, in good conscience, fail to report these issues to you,” Mr. Schubert said, according to the memo. But the newly obtained emails suggest that a year later, Schubert was urging his colleagues to manipulate the test data.
The documents were unsealed as part of a lawsuit brought by a Florida woman who was paralyzed in 2014 after her Takata airbag deployed too forcefully.
The N.H.T.S.A. recently updated its recall list which includes 12 different automakers. It is advisable to check this list just to be sure your vehicle is not in need of repair.
If you have been injured as a result of a faulty Takata airbag you are entitled to seek compensation and should see an attorney immediately.
Shocking documents have been released regarding the falsifying of tests on the dangerous Takata airbags. The airbags have been known to explode when they are deployed. The faulty airbags are linked to 8 deaths in the United States and more than 100 injuries. They eventually led to the recall of some 20 million vehicles.
Internal emails obtained by The New York Times as part of a personal injury lawsuit, include a Takata airbag engineer writing, “Happy Manipulating!!!” Bob Schubert’s email from July 2006 was in reference to results of airbag tests. In a separate email he mentioned changing the colors or lines in a graphic “to divert attention” from the results and “to try to dress it up.”
Takata issued a statement saying the email exchanges were about formatting of data and not related to defective airbags. “To have these kinds of offhand remarks shows that this is a systemic issue at Takata,” said Mark Lillie, a former Takata engineer and whistle-blower.
Controversy has surrounded these airbags since one exploded in a Honda in 2002 but it was originally thought to be an isolated incident. In 2008, Honda recalled 4,000 vehicles to repair the airbags for potential ruptures. It was not until 2014 that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued regional recalls and then months later demanded Takata expand their airbag recall nationwide. Takata did not immediately comply but finally in May of 2015 the company admitted millions of its airbags are defective.
Last fall N.H.T.S.A announced a fine of up to $200 million against Takata. That’s the largest civil punishment ever imposed in the auto industry.
In January 2005, engineer Schubert alerted a colleague in a memo that he had been “repeatedly exposed to the Japanese practice of altering data presented to the customer,” Schubert added that this behavior was described at Takata as “the way we do business in Japan.”
In the memo, Schubert warned that while the data manipulation did not change the fundamental conclusions of the testing, the practice had “gone beyond all reasonable bounds and now most likely constitutes fraud.” He also wrote, “I cannot, in good conscience, fail to report these issues to you,” Mr. Schubert said, according to the memo. But the newly obtained emails suggest that a year later, Schubert was urging his colleagues to manipulate the test data.
The documents were unsealed as part of a lawsuit brought by a Florida woman who was paralyzed in 2014 after her Takata airbag deployed too forcefully.
The N.H.T.S.A. recently updated its recall list which includes 12 different automakers. It is advisable to check this list just to be sure your vehicle is not in need of repair.
If you have been injured as a result of a faulty Takata airbag you are entitled to seek compensation and should see an attorney immediately.