A former engineer with Takata, the company now embroiled in a recall impacting major car manufacturers including Nissan, Honda, Ford, BMW, and more, has come forward to offer whistle-blowing testimony to the United States Congress regarding the company’s fatal and negligent practices.
Mark Lillie claims that the company had been warned that the ammonium nitrate they used in their designs was unstable and would result in catastrophic failure. Takata has been criticized for continuing to use the chemical compound in replacement designs. In addition, Lillie has said that airbag inflator plants were not up to standard and were unable to properly manage the ammonium nitrate-based airbag inflator design, lacking the expertise needed to create safe products.
More than 24 million cars have been recalled in the wake of the growing number of fatalities associated with the airbags.
Complete list of affected vehicles:
Acura: 2002–2003 TL; 2002 CL; 2003–2006 MDX
BMW: 2000–2005 3-series sedan and wagon; 2000–2006 3-series coupe and convertible; 2001–2006 M3 coupe and convertible
Chrysler: 2004–2008 Chrysler 300; 2007–2008 Aspen
Dodge/Ram: 2003–2008 Dodge Ram 1500; 2004–2008 Ram 2500, Dakota, and Durango; 2004–2007 Charger; 2004–2008 Ram 3500 and 4500; 2008 Ram 5500
Ford: 2004–2005 Ranger; 2005–2006 GT; 2005–2008 Mustang
Honda: 2001–2007 Accord (four-cylinder); 2001–2002 Accord (V-6); 2001–2005 Civic; 2002–2006 CR-V; 2002–2004 Odyssey; 2003–2011 Element; 2003–2007 Pilot; 2006 Ridgeline
Infiniti: 2001–2004 Infiniti I30/I35; 2002–2003 Infiniti QX4; 2003–2005 Infiniti FX35/FX45; 2006 Infiniti M35/M45
Lexus: 2002–2005 SC430
Mazda: 2004–2008 Mazda 6; 2006–2007 Mazdaspeed 6; 2004–2008 Mazda RX-8; 2004–2005 MPV; 2004 B-series
Mitsubishi: 2004–2005 Lancer; 2006–2007 Raider
Nissan: 2001–2003 Maxima; 2001–2004 Pathfinder; 2002–2006 Nissan Sentra
Pontiac: 2003–2005 Vibe
Saab: 2005 9-2X
Subaru: 2003–2005 Baja, Legacy, Outback; 2004–2005 Impreza, Impreza WRX, Impreza WRX STI
Toyota: 2002–2005 Toyota Corolla and Sequoia; 2003–2005 Matrix, Tundra
BCCN is part of a team of attorneys investigating product liability claims against Takata, car manufacturers and dealerships. BCCN is currently reviewing and accepting cases on a nationwide basis.