They knew, but they did nothing. This is roughly what the authors of an investigation into defective Takata airbags explain; they reveal that the first alerts date back to the year 2000. Since then, in France, this equipment has killed at least 15 times; all other countries in the world are affected. And massive vehicle recalls, to replace dangerous cushions, are sometimes in their infancy, leaving motorists destitute.
The dangerous nature of Airbags from the Japanese brand Takata and the tragedies that have already occurred linked to this equipment have been in the news for several months, particularly in Guadeloupe.
We know that these cushions, supposed to protect people in the passenger compartment of cars, can trigger unexpectedly and, therefore, project metal shards, like bullets from a firearm. They can therefore kill or even seriously injure.
15 deaths were recorded in France, including 14 overseas and 7 in the archipelago, not counting the dozens of motorists affected more or less seriously. In the United States, the latest figures show 28 dead and hundreds injured.
ALSO READ: Defective airbags: equipment that continues to kill in Guadeloupe, despite the identified danger – 12/14/2024.
This problem is at the heart of several controversies.
It had been known for more than 20 years by the manufacturer.
Some people criticize the conditions for organizing operations to recall the vehicles concerned and replace the airbags free of charge; they only come into play years later.
Likewise, voices are being raised to denounce the late reaction of the State which, on January 8, 2025, launched a vast information campaign for motorists.
ALSO READ: Defective airbags: a State information campaign in support of vehicle recalls – 01/08/2025.
What if we were only at the very beginning of the Takata airbag scandal?
The whole world is concerned by what is already considered to be the biggest automobile scandal in recent years.
Takata brand airbags are the subject of an in-depth and documented article, signed by the investigation unit of Radio France and published on January 8, which traces the history of an affair which began in 2000 and which provoked the death of many people.
Reading this article is dizzying, as this affair is so old and the warnings are numerous in the face of a fiasco which has been in the making for a long time. As early as the 2000s, American engineers from Takata noted malfunctions during laboratory tests on these airbags. From 2003, the first accidents occurred in Switzerland, then in the United States, Japan and Malaysia. Some vehicle brands suspect that there is a wolf, but enter into confidential agreements with the first victims; at the same time, they begin to recall certain models.
It was only in 2015, after alerts to the authorities and in the press, that legal action was taken against the airbag manufacturer Takata; then begins the massive recall of vehicles across the world.
In France, it is the manufacturer Toyota which will be the first to recall. And then the fatal accidents begin in Reunion, in Guyana, in Guadeloupe.
In 2017, executives of the Japanese firm were convicted and the company went bankrupt after having to pay a fine of more than a billion dollars.
We will have to wait until 2018 for the Takata buyer to launch analyzes on these killer airbags. And the conclusions are damning: a bursting capsule is the cause of these fatal accidents. This capsule contains ammonium nitrate crystals which transform into a very unstable gas; In short, it's a time bomb, which high humidity levels make it age more quickly.
This is what explains the significant number of fatal accidents in Overseas Territories: the humid climate.
But this revelation was not enough to push the State to act, in particular by forcing manufacturers to massively recall the models concerned.
According to this survey, nearly 500,000 vehicles are today affected by these recalls in France, all or almost all brands combined.
As part of recall campaigns, car manufacturers and dealers send standard letters to customers who absolutely need to replace their airbag because their vehicle is equipped with a Takata. The procedure is said to be quick and free and the terms used are alarming: “Your vehicle's airbag could be defective“, “You must no longer use your vehicle and make an appointment immediately with an approved repairer“, “you must immediately stop using the vehicle“…
However, getting an appointment can take several days.
Until more than a month, given the experience of a motorist we met; notified on December 22, 2024, she will have her airbag replaced on January 25, 2025. In the meantime, she rents a car, at her own expense.
Others, who cannot afford this expense, take the risk of riding in their potentially deadly machine; in Guadeloupe, the car is almost essential.
Another problem, in the archipelago: since the judicial liquidation, on October 28, 2024, of the Ambitions Automobiles Guadeloupe (AAG) dealership, which marketed vehicles from the BMW and Mini brands, in Guadeloupe, customers do not know where to turn .
And what can we say about this new testimony, which perhaps opens a new page in the case of defective airbags? Last Friday (January 10, 2025), a driver did not come far from death. Her seat airbag deployed while driving, for no apparent reason, while she was traveling on Route Nationale 1, near the Riviéra du Gosier.
TO HAVE/ The testimonies of two motorists, one a victim of her seat airbag and the other a BMW customer, are in this report by Rudy Rilcy:
Defective airbags: the embarrassment of two victims in Guadeloupe
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©Rudy Rilcy – Guadeloupe La 1ère
