Claribel Nunez still has a gash on her forehead, three months after she was struck by a piece of metal, which shot through the airbag in her 2001 Honda Civic during an accident.
The South Florida woman is now suing the airbag company thatβs the subject of a nation-wide recall as well as the maker of her car, after the airbag went off during what she calls a minor fender-bender in Miami Gardens in July.
βI feel now in shock, sad, a little nervous to drive now,β Nunez said of her accident.
Nunezβs car is one of the eight million that are part of the growing nationwide recall over air bag inflators made by Takata Corp. The inflators can rupture, ejecting shrapnel in a crash. The list of recalled cars includes cars from multiple manufacturers including Honda and General Motors. Safety advocates says as many as 25 million vehicles may be equipped with the faulty air bags in the U.S. alone, according to The Associated Press. There have been recalls in Japan, Europe, China and other areas.
βIf it landed two inches below on either side, she could be blind or even worse, killed,β Nunezβs attorney, Jason Turchin, said of the metal part. βWhat shouldβve been a normal everyday car accident turned into something much scarier.β
Takata didnβt respond when NBC 6 requested a comment about the lawsuit. Earlier in the week, Takata said itβs working with the federal government and automakers: βOur joint objective is to do all that is possible to maximize motor vehicle safety.β
Honda didnβt respond to a request for comment via phone, email, or social media.
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Nunez said that what happened to her should be a warning to other drivers to get their cars checked as soon as possible. Turchin said heβs already had four other clients who have claimed a similar thing has happened to them during an accident.
Automakers said there are now so many cars on the recall list that parts are starting to run out and it could take months for more parts to be delivered.
The most updated recall list from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration can be seen below:
BMW: 627,615 total number of potentially affected vehicles
- 2000 β 2005 3 Series Sedan
- 2000 β 2006 3 Series Coupe
- 2000 β 2005 3 Series Sports Wagon
- 2000 β 2006 3 Series Convertible
- 2001 β 2006 M3 Coupe
- 2001 β 2006 M3 Convertible
Chrysler: 371,309 total number of potentially affected vehicles 2003 β 2008 Dodge Ram 1500
- 2005 β 2008 Dodge Ram 2500
- 2006 β 2008 Dodge Ram 3500
- 2006 β 2008 Dodge Ram 4500
- 2008 β Dodge Ram 5500
- 2005 β 2008 Dodge Durango
- 2005 β 2008 Dodge Dakota
- 2005 β 2008 Chrysler 300
- 2007 β 2008 Chrysler Aspen
Ford: 58,669 total number of potentially affected vehicles
- 2004 β Ranger
- 2005 β 2006 GT
- 2005 β 2007 Mustang
General Motors: undetermined total number of potentially affected vehicles
- 2003 β 2005 Pontiac Vibe
- 2005 β Saab 9-2X
Honda: 5,051,364 total number of potentially affected vehicles
- 2001 β 2007 Honda Accord)
- 2001 β 2002 Honda Accord
- 2001 β 2005 Honda Civic
- 2002 β 2006 Honda CR-V
- 2003 β 2011 Honda Element
- 2002 β 2004 Honda Odyssey
- 2003 β 2007 Honda Pilot
- 2006 β Honda Ridgeline
- 2003 β 2006 Acura MDX
- 2002 β 2003 Acura TL/CL
- 2005 β Acura RL
Mazda: 64,872 total number of potentially affected vehicles
- 2003 β 2007 Mazda6
- 2006 β 2007 MazdaSpeed6
- 2004 β 2008 Mazda RX-8
- 2004 β 2005 MPV
- 2004 β B-Series Truck
Mitsubishi: 11,985 total number of potentially affected vehicles
- 2004 β 2005 Lancer
- 2006 β 2007 Raider
Nissan: 694,626 total number of potentially affected vehicles
- 2001 β 2003 Nissan Maxima
- 2001 β 2004 Nissan Pathfinder
- 2002 β 2004 Nissan Sentra
- 2001 β 2004 Infiniti I30/I35
- 2002 β 2003 Infiniti QX4
- 2003 β 2005 Infiniti FX35/FX45
Subaru: 17,516 total number of potentially affected vehicles
- 2003 β 2005 Baja
- 2003 β 2005 Legacy
- 2003 β 2005 Outback
- 2004 β 2005 Impreza
Toyota: 877,000 total number of potentially affected vehicles
- 2002 β 2005 Lexus SC
- 2002 β 2005 Toyota Corolla
- 2003 β 2005 Toyota Corolla Matrix
- 2002 β 2005 Toyota Sequoia
- 2003 β 2005 Toyota Tundra