Takata, plaintiffs tussle over access to airbag inflators for testing
Automotive News
Such work has proven crucial in recent defect cases. It was the work of Georgia attorney Lance Cooper that provided the major breakthrough to identify the underlying defect in General Motors ignition switches that had evaded regulators and GM for years.
Complicating matters in the Takata case are junkyard operators jockeying for their own advantage. A trade association for the salvage yard operators has sued Takata, claiming that the defects lowered the value of their merchandise. The association has advised its members to hold onto their inflators as evidence, squeezing a major source of parts for product liability attorneys.