The last year and a half have been rough for airbags. Now Chrysler is recalling certain Jeep Cherokees manufactured between January 1, 2013 and November 19, 2014 because their side curtain and seat airbags have the potential to spontaneously deploy while the vehicle is in operation. According to the International Business Times, this latest “Jeep Cherokee recall of nearly 168,000 vehicles in the U.S. has pushed the total number of cars covered by inadvertent air bag deployment to about 2.31 million vehicles so far this year.” According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, Chrysler is hardly alone: recalls have been issued for “Acura, Dodge, Jeep, Honda, Pontiac, and Toyota vehicles” for airbags which deploy for no reason.

Chrysler claims the latest recalls are due to an error in the Occupant Restraint Control (ORC) module rollover calibration thresholds, meaning that the cars believe they are literally rolling over when they are not, which causes the airbags to deploy. Last year, the news was awash with stories about exploding airbags as well as airbags that failed to deploy at all. This latest recall was issued because manufacturers failed to fix the problem the last time they cars were recalled.

Why airbags are dangerous

When an airbag deploys correctly and successfully, it can help save a person’s life. But airbags can also lead to serious injuries – injuries which are compounded when the airbag deploys at the wrong time. Some of the more common airbag injuries include:

• Breaking your nose, arm or shoulder because of the force of the deployment
• Getting whiplash from the force of your head snapping back
• Inhaling or being penetrated by metal shrapnel if the airbag explodes
• Oxygen deprivation if you pass out face-first in an airbag that has failed to deflate
• Traumatic brain injuries caused by smacking your head
• Burns if the chemicals escape the airbag and reach your skin
• Lacerations, cuts and bruises

For many people, a laceration on the face is a small price to pay for their lives, but a faulty or defective airbag can cause much greater problems. It’s a smart idea to check for recall updates to see if your car is one of the models listed; better to be safe than sorry.

Banks and Jones protects the rights of the injured in Tennessee. With more than 90 years of combined experience, it’s no wonder that we’re the Knoxville car crash attorneys so many people turn to when they need help. For more information about our services, please contact our office.