The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced it is expanding its investigation into potentially defective airbags that may fail to deploy in a wreck and that have caused at least eight deaths in the United States. The airbags may not deploy due to “electrical overstress.”The impacted airbags are in certain 2010-2019 vehicles manufactured by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Honda Motor Co., Hyundai Motor Co., Kia Motors Corp., Mitsubishi Motors Corp., and Toyota Motor Corp., according to NHTSA.Fiat Chrysler, Hyundai and Kia have issued recalls for impacted vehicles. Consumers may check to see if their vehicle has been recalled by visiting www.safercar.gov. A vehicle’s VIN, 17 characters, may be found on the lower left side of the windshield or on the registration card.Vehicles currently being investigated by NHTSA include:2014-2019 Acura RLX2014-2019 Acura RLX Hybrid2012-2014 Acura TL2015-2017 Acura TLX2012-2014 Acura TSX2012-2014 Acura TSX Sport Wagon2010-2011 Dodge Nitro2012-2019 Fiat 5002013-2015 Honda Accord2014-2015 Honda Accord Hybrid2012-2015 Honda Civic2012-2015 Honda Civic GX2012-2015 Honda Civic Hybrid2012-2015 Honda Civic SI2012-2016 Honda CR-V2012-2017 Honda Fit2013-2014 Honda Fit EV2012-2014 Honda Ridgeline2013-2019 Hyundai Sonata2013-2019 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid2015-2017 Jeep Compass2010-2012 Jeep Liberty2015-2017 Jeep Patriot2010-2018 Jeep Wrangler2013 Kia Forte2013 Kia Forte Koup2013-2019 Kia Optima2012-2016 Kia Optima Hybrid2014 Kia Sedona2013-2017 Mitsubishi Lancer2013-2015 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution2014-2015 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart2013-2016 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback2013 Mitsubishi Outlander2009-2012 Ram 15002010-2012 Ram 25002010-2012 Ram 35002011-2012 Ram 45002011-2012 Ram 55002012-2018 Toyota Avalon2013-2018 Toyota Avalon Hybrid2011-2019 Toyota Corolla2011-2013 Toyota Corolla Matrix2012-2017 Toyota Sequoia2012-2019 Toyota Tacoma2012-2017 Toyota TundraThe investigation, which was first launched in 2018 as a preliminary evaluation of 400,000 vehicles, has now expanded to an engineering analysis of 12.3 million vehicles and their ZF-TRW airbags, according to NHTSA. The allegedly faulty airbags at the heart of the investigation were initially manufactured by TRW Automotive Holdings Corp., now owned by German auto parts manufacturer ZF Friedrichshafen, and are alleged to be the cause of as many as eight deaths.The investigation is said to focus on the electrical components of the airbag unit responsible for sensing a vehicle crash and determining whether airbag deployment and other restraints are needed. The investigation will “evaluate the susceptibility of the subject [airbag control unit] designs to electrical signals, as well as other vehicle factors that can either lead to, or reduce the likelihood of, an [electrical overstress] event. Additionally, [the investigation] will evaluate whether an unreasonable risk exists that requires further field action,” NHTSA reported.Motley Rice vehicle defect experienceMotley Rice was recently recognized by legal publication Law360 as Consumer Protection Group of the Year for 2018, and our attorneys have played a leading role in some of the largest and most significant litigations in recent years involving alleged fraud by auto manufacturers, including cases involving defective airbags.Motley Rice represents or has settled more than three dozen claims made by personal injury victims alleging harm by Takata airbags in the U.S. and Malaysia, and was the first law firm to thoroughly investigate the airbag defect by disassembling airbag inflators found in junk yards. The firm also played a key role in helping negotiate a pair of Takata bankruptcy resolutions, achieving a favorable outcome for current and future victims in the wake of the largest automobile recall in history.For more information or to discuss a potential claim, you may complete this webform or call vehicle defect attorney Kevin Dean at 1.800.768.4026.