Takata faces 3 Canadian lawsuits over faulty airbags

Three plaintiffs in Windsor, Ont. have sued Takata Corp. for $2.4 billion Cdn, the company said in a notice to the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Friday.

They are seeking damages on behalf of owners of vehicles equipped with Takata-made airbags, which can malfunction and harm drivers and passengers.

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• Takata airbags the subject of class-action lawsuit in U.S

The Takata airbags, installed in Toyota, Honda, Chrysler, Ford, Nissan and other vehicles in North America, deteriorate over time. If they explode during an accident, they can send metal shards flying, hurting vehicle occupants.

At least six fatalities are linked to defective airbags.

Nearly 25 million vehicles equipped with the airbags have been recalled worldwide, but many auto owners have not heard or heeded the recall.

Takata is facing dozens of lawsuits in the U.S., with proceedings beginning in Florida courtroom late last year. Auto owners are claiming damages for the depreciated value of their vehicles as well as for injuries.

In its filing to the Tokyo exchange, Takata said it has not set aside money for the lawsuits as the actually amount is hard to estimate.

In late February, the National Highway Traffic Safety Association started fining Takata $14,000 per day for failing to cooperate fully in their investigation into faulty airbag inflators.

In Canada, Merchant Law Group LLP has launched class action litigation related to the 400,000 vehicles in Canada equipped with airbags manufactured by Takata.