Airbags have been used in vehicles since the mid 1970s. During the 1990s it became apparent that the current type of airbag used in automobiles could, in some cases, cause more harm than good. This paved the way for the second-generation airbags that were “de-powered” and would inflate with less force than the original airbag system. Modern systems will even adjust the force of the inflation to match the severity of the impact and the weight of the person in the seat.

Even with this technology, people are still injured by airbags. Defective airbags can still cause injury by not inflating properly or by activating when they are not needed. A defective airbag recall may be issued if the manufacturer feels that there are enough of the defective airbags on the market to warrant a recall.

Some recent airbag recalls issued by manufacturers include:

Dodge Airbag Recall: In September 2006, Dodge issued a recall for over 140,000 Ram 1500 pick-up trucks. The passenger airbag may deploy with excessive force while certain rear facing child seats are installed on the front passenger seats. This increased force could result increase the risk of injury to the child seat occupant in the event of an accident.

Audi Airbag Recall: On August 24, 2006, Audi issued a recalled for nearly 8,000 A8 sedans. The sedans contain a defect that may cause the driver’s airbag to improperly unfold during an accident. If the airbag does not deploy when needed in an accident, the risk of injury to the driver increases significantly.

Jeep Airbag Recall: On August 6, 2006, Jeep recalled 15,000 Grand Cherokee SUV’s due to an improper inflator connector for the driver’s air bag. This defect may cause to airbag to improperly inflate during an accident.

Audi Airbag Recall: In July 2006, Audi recalled certain A3 sedans due to defects in the side curtain airbags. The airbags on certain A3 sedans may have a leak in the inflation module causing the bag to improperly inflate during an accident.

People that have been injured by a defective airbag may choose to file an airbag recall lawsuit against the vehicle manufacturer or the manufacturer of the airbag. An airbag recall attorney will be able to assist in filing the lawsuit and should be able to help determine if the airbag was defective and if the injuries suffered were a result of the defective airbag.