Knee-airbag Injury Lawsuits
No longer accepting claims for this case
On April 10, 2019, Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing recalled more than 500 of its 2019 Lexus ES vehicles, claiming these vehicles produced by its luxury division may contain improperly installed knee airbags. The defect, which is said to affect knee airbags on the driver’s side, may cause an increased risk of injury when deployed, Toyota stated.
Knee-airbag defect
Knee airbags are commonly found in luxury vehicles, though mid-level vehicles are increasingly being equipped with the safety devices. Located beneath the dashboard, the airbags are intended to reduce injury to the lower legs in a collision. It has been alleged that the airbags may be defective by design, potentially causing injuries even when installed properly due to deploying with extreme force. A plastic housing component in the front of the airbag may also become jagged, causing severe lacerations, it is alleged.
Knee-airbag injuries may include:
- Bone breaks and fractures to the leg and ankle
- Severe lacerations
- Skin loss on legs
Toyota claims that knee airbags in impacted 2019 Lexus ES vehicles that were included in the recall can be examined and properly fastened by Lexus technicians for free. To determine if your vehicle was included in the recall, search using your vehicle’s VIN at SaferCar.gov.
Motley Rice vehicle defect experience
Named Consumer Protection Group of the Year for 2018 by legal publication Law360, Motley Rice has played a leading role in some of the largest and most significant litigations in recent years involving vehicle defects, including cases involving defective airbags installed in vehicles manufactured by Toyota and other automakers.
Our attorneys represent or have settled more than three dozen claims made by personal injury victims alleging harm by Takata airbags in the U.S. and Malaysia. Motley Rice was the first law firm to thoroughly investigate the airbag defect by disassembling airbag inflators found in junk yards. Our attorneys also played a key role in helping negotiate a pair of Takata bankruptcy resolutions for current and future victims in the wake of the largest automobile recall in history.
In addition to knee airbags in Toyota and Lexus vehicles, Motley Rice is also reviewing claims of harm involving airbags in recalled Kia vehicles that failed to deploy in a crash. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) also announced in April 2019 that it is investigating potentially defective airbags installed in 12.3 million vehicles that may fail to deploy due to electrical overstress — the apparent cause of at least eight deaths in the United States. Our attorneys are available to discuss these and other cases involving vehicle defects.
