Takata Corporation ( タカタ株式会社 , Takata Kabushiki Gaisha ) was a Japanese automotive parts company. The company had production facilities on four continents, with its European headquarters located in Germany. In 2013, a series of deaths and injuries associated with defective Takata airbag inflators made in their Mexico plant led to a recall of 3.6 million cars equipped with Takata airbags. Further fatalities caused by the airbags have led the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to order an ongoing, US-wide recall of more than 42 million cars, the largest automotive recall in U.S. history. In June 2017, Takata filed for bankruptcy. It was acquired by Key Safety Systems . As of January 2024, over 100 million airbag inflators worldwide have been recalled by more than 20 carmakers.
108-472: Takata was founded in 1933 in Shiga Prefecture , Japan, by Takezo Takada and started to produce lifelines for parachutes, and other textiles. In the early 1950s, the company started to research seat belts . In the 1960s, Takata started to sell seat belts and built Japan's first crash test plant for testing seat belts under real world conditions. In the 1970s, Takata developed child restraint systems. In
216-424: A collision and then deflate afterwards. It consists of an airbag cushion, a flexible fabric bag, an inflation module, and an impact sensor. The purpose of the airbag is to provide a vehicle occupant with soft cushioning and restraint during a collision. It can reduce injuries between the flailing occupant and the vehicle's interior. The airbag provides an energy-absorbing surface between the vehicle's occupants and
324-409: A performance-based occupant-protection standard rather than one mandating a particular technical solution (which could rapidly become outdated and prove to not be a cost-effective approach). Less emphasis was placed on other designs as countries successfully mandated seat belt restrictions, however. The auto industry and research and regulatory communities have moved away from their initial view of
432-504: A $ 25 million fine, $ 125 million for victim compensation and $ 850 million to compensate automobile manufacturers. At least 16 deaths are linked to the defective airbags. On February 28, 2018 the Australian Federal Government announced the compulsory recall of all cars fitted with Takata airbags, with 2.3 million vehicles subject to the compulsory recall and the airbags must be replaced within two years. On March 1, 2018, it
540-511: A Giant Kite Festival every May along the riverbank. Ordinary people are invited to pull the rope that sends the kites aloft. Meishin Expressway , Shin-Meishin Expressway and Hokuriku Expressway pass through Shiga. National highway Route 1 , 8 , 21 , 8 , 161 , 303 , 306 , 307 , 365 , 367 , 421 , 422 and 477 connect with neighboring prefectures. Two bridges span southern part of Lake Biwa. With development of land transportation in
648-421: A ball-in-tube mechanism for crash detection. Under his system, an electromechanical sensor with a steel ball attached to a tube by a magnet would inflate an airbag in under 30 milliseconds. A small explosion of sodium azide was used instead of compressed air during inflation for the first time. Breed Corporation then marketed this innovation to Chrysler . A similar "Auto-Ceptor" crash-restraint, developed by
756-653: A broadcasting station in Otsu. Shiga is the only prefecture which has no regional newspapers. Kyoto Shimbun is a de facto regional newspaper of Shiga. Ten universities, two junior colleges, and a learning center of The Open University of Japan operate in Shiga. The following sports teams are based in Shiga. Shiga has many tourism resources, but Shiga is overshadowed by its much more famous neighbor Kyoto. Over four million foreign tourists visited Japan in 2000, but only sixty-five thousand visited Shiga. The main gateways to Shiga are
864-489: A driver's airbag as an option, but by 1999, even side airbags were available on several variants. Audi was late to offer airbag systems on a broader scale, since even in the 1994 model year, its popular models did not offer airbags. Instead, the German automaker until then relied solely on its proprietary cable-based procon-ten restraint system. Variable force-deployment front airbags were developed to help minimize injury from
972-675: A front center airbag; it deploys from the driver's seat. Hyundai Motor Group announced its development of a center-side airbag on September 18, 2019, installed inside the driver's seat. Some Volkswagen vehicles in 2022 equipped with center airbags include the ID.3 and the Golf . The Polestar 2 also includes a center airbag. With EuroNCAP updating its testing guidelines in 2020, European and Australian market vehicles increasingly use front-center airbags, rear torso airbags, and rear seat belt pre-tensioners. The second driver-side and separate knee airbag
1080-715: A knee and torso cushion while also having a dual-stage deployment dictated by force of the impact. The cars equipped with ACRS had lap belts for all seating positions, but lacked shoulder belts. Shoulder belts were already mandatory in the United States on closed cars without airbags for the driver and outer front passenger, but GM chose to market its airbags as a substitute for shoulder belts. Prices for this option on Cadillac models were US$ 225 in 1974, $ 300 in 1975, and $ 340 in 1976 (US$ 1,820 in 2023 dollars ). The early development of airbags coincided with international interest in automobile safety legislation. Some safety experts advocated
1188-467: A lawsuit filed by her father at a Miami federal court. Her daughter, delivered after the mother's death, died three days later. On November 18, 2014, the NHTSA ordered Takata to initiate a nationwide airbag recall. The action came as 10 automakers in the U.S. recalled hundreds of thousands of cars equipped with potentially faulty air bags manufactured by Takata. As of May 19, 2015, Takata is now responsible for
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#17328587442331296-466: A new front passenger airbag technology. Developed by Autoliv and Honda R&D in Ohio, United States , this new airbag design features three inflatable chambers connected across the front by a "noninflatable sail panel." The two outer chambers are larger than the middle chamber. When the airbag deploys, the sail panel cushions the occupant's head from the impact of hitting the airbag, and the three chambers hold
1404-991: A ninja house is preserved as a visitor center. Since ancient times, Shigans have eaten fish from Lake Biwa. The most famous lake-food is fermented sushi of crucian carp ( 鮒寿司 , funa-zushi ) . It retains the ancient style of sushi and has a pungent odor. Shiga is also famous for high quality wagyū , Ōmi beef . The Hikone Domain presented beef as medicinal food to shōguns. In addition, tsukemono of root crops, mallard nabe or mallard sukiyaki ( 鴨鍋 or 鴨すき , kamo-nabe or kamo-suki ) in northern Shiga, red colored konjac ( 赤こんにゃく , aka konnyaku ) in Omihachiman, sōmen with grilled mackerel ( 焼鯖素麺 , yaki-saba sōmen ) in Nagahama, and lightly seasoned champon in Hikone are examples of specific cuisine in Shiga. Biwako Broadcasting broadcasts local TV programs. NHK has
1512-891: A part of Nagahama) is a home of The Tonda Traditional Bunraku Puppet Troupe . Founded in the 1830s, the group is one of the most active traditional Bunraku puppet theaters in Japan outside the National Theater in Osaka. Toyosato and Higashiomi are known to a mecca of Goshu ondo . Museums include the Sagawa Art Museum in Moriyama, the Lake Biwa Museum in Kusatsu and the Miho Museum in Kōka. In Kōka,
1620-638: A precaution. No evidence of the issue has been seen in the UK or Europe. In South America , Brazil was the only country to register a defect in this company's airbags in 17 car brands. According to estimates from Secretaria Nacional de Trânsito (SENATRAN), owners of 2.5 million of the 3.5 million vehicles involved didn't undergo inspection to exchange the product. In total, 8 people died in 7 accidents involving Honda vehicles (Honda Civic) and 1 involving General Motors ( Chevrolet Celta ). The Japanese brand, however, only acknowledged 1. The most recent case occurred in
1728-425: A second investigation (EA94-036) on Takata seatbelts broadly as well as individual investigations on the vehicle manufacturers using Takata seat belts to determine the magnitude of the defect. This second investigation was only limited to the front seat belt buckles and in particular Takata's 52X and A7X models. This determined that a total of 11 manufacturers were affected by the investigation. Japanese models sold in
1836-539: A side-curtain airbag deploying from the roof on the Progrés . In 1998, the Volvo S80 was given roof-mounted curtain airbags to protect both front and rear passengers. Curtain airbags were then made standard equipment on all new Volvo cars from 2000 except for the first-generation C70 , which received an enlarged side-torso airbag that also protects the head of front-seat occupants. The second-generation C70 convertible received
1944-481: A small temple still stands on the lake near the shore, accessible by a short bridge. Another scene features Ishiyama-dera temple in southern Otsu, which is also renowned for having a room where Murasaki Shikibu thought up the plan for some chapters of Tale of Genji . The mountains around the lake offer extensive views. Mount Hira is a picnic spot. Mountain roads like the Oku-Biwako Parkway road up north and
2052-628: A spring, bumper contact, or by the driver. Later research during the 1960s showed that compressed air could not inflate the mechanical airbags fast enough to ensure maximum safety, leading to the current chemical and electrical airbags. In patent applications, manufacturers sometimes use the term "inflatable occupant restraint systems". Hetrick was an industrial engineer and member of the United States Navy . His airbag design, however, only came about when he combined his experiences working with navy torpedoes with his desire to protect his family on
2160-607: A standard driver-side airbag. The first known collision between two airbag-equipped automobiles took place on 12 March 1990 in Virginia , USA. A 1989 Chrysler LeBaron crossed the center line and hit another 1989 Chrysler LeBaron in a head-on collision , causing both driver airbags to deploy. The drivers suffered only minor injuries despite extensive damage to the vehicles. The United States Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 required passenger cars and light trucks built after 1 September 1998 to have airbags for
2268-426: A statement the company said, "We take this situation seriously, will strengthen our quality control and make a concerted effort to prevent a recurrence". On June 23, 2014, auto manufacturers BMW , Chrysler , Ford , Honda , Mazda , Nissan , and Toyota announced they were recalling over three million vehicles worldwide due to Takata-made airbags. The reason was that they could rupture and send debris flying inside
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#17328587442332376-412: A steering wheel, instrument panel, body pillar , headliner, and windshield . Modern vehicles may contain up to ten airbag modules in various configurations, including driver, passenger, side-curtain, seat-mounted, door-mounted, B and C-pillar mounted side-impact, knee bolster, inflatable seat belt, and pedestrian airbag modules. During a crash, the vehicle's crash sensors provide crucial information to
2484-408: A supplemental restraint system for the vehicle's seat belt systems. Newer side-impact airbag modules consist of compressed-air cylinders that are triggered in the event of a side-on vehicle impact. The first commercial designs were introduced in passenger automobiles during the 1970s, with limited success and caused some fatalities. Broad commercial adoption of airbags occurred in many markets during
2592-497: A survey asking citizens whether they felt it necessary to change the name of the prefecture, partly to raise its profile as a destination for domestic tourism. Shiga borders Fukui Prefecture in the north, Gifu Prefecture in the east, Mie Prefecture in the southeast, and Kyoto Prefecture in the west. Lake Biwa, Japan's largest, is located at the center of this prefecture. It occupies one-sixth of its area. The Seta River flows from Lake Biwa to Osaka Bay through Kyoto . This
2700-437: A suspect driver's air bag inflator module that may have been assembled with an incorrect part." The airbags involved were made by Takata Corporation. On June 11, 2014, Toyota recalled 2.3 million vehicles, many for the second time. On July 17, 2015, Ferrari issued a recall for their lineup from the 2014-15 model years due to the driver's side airbags being improperly installed and the leather covering them improperly glued. This
2808-460: A switch can disable the feature in case the driver wants to take the vehicle off-road. In 2009, Toyota developed the first production rear-seat center airbag designed to reduce the severity of secondary injuries to rear passengers in a side collision. This system deploys from the rear center seat first appearing in on the Crown Majesta . In late 2012, General Motors with supplier Takata introduced
2916-443: A unique steering wheel that contained the driver-side airbag. Two of these cars were crash tested after 20 years and the airbags deployed perfectly. An early example of the airbag cars survives as of 2009. GM's Oldsmobile Toronado was the first domestic U.S. vehicle to include a passenger airbag in 1973. General Motors marketed its first airbag modules under the "Air Cushion Restraint System" name, or ACRS. The automaker discontinued
3024-457: A voluntary recall, though this did not go smoothly. Only 18% of the 8.9 million cars and trucks with the Takata belt buckle were repaired two years after the recall had begun. In addition, the NHTSA assessed a $ 50,000 civil penalty against both Honda and Takata for failing to notify the agency about the seat belt defect in a timely manner. Honda was fined because the NHTSA believed the company knew about
3132-460: A western Swan maiden . Shiga's climate sharply varies between north and south. Southern Shiga is usually warm, but northern Shiga is typically cold with high snowfall and hosts many skiing grounds. In Nakanokawachi, the northernmost village of Shiga, snow reached a depth of 5.6 metres (18 ft) in 1936. As of 1 April 2014, 37% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks (the highest total of any prefecture), namely
3240-498: Is concentrated along the southern shore of Lake Biwa in Otsu city (adjacent to Kyoto) and along the lake's eastern shore in cities such as Kusatsu and Moriyama, which are within commuting distance to Kyoto . The lake's western and northern shores are more rural and resort-oriented with white sand beaches. In recent years, many Brazilians settled in Shiga to work in nearby factories. 25,040 foreigners live in Shiga and 30% of foreigners were Brazilians as of December 2016. Biwa Town (now
3348-579: Is credited independently to the American John W. Hetrick , who filed for an airbag patent on 5 August 1952, that was granted #2,649,311 by the United States Patent Office on 18 August 1953. German engineer Walter Linderer, who filed German patent #896,312 on 6 October 1951, was issued on 12 November 1953, approximately three months after American John Hetrick. The airbags proposed by Hetrick and Linderer were based on compressed air released by
Takata Corporation - Misplaced Pages Continue
3456-403: Is not related to active and passive safety , which are, respectively, systems designed to prevent collisions in the first place, and systems designed to minimize the effects of collisions once they occur. In this use, a car Anti-lock braking system qualifies as an active-safety device, while both its seat belts and airbags qualify as passive-safety devices. Terminological confusion can arise from
3564-603: Is the only natural river that flows out from the lake. Most other natural rivers flow into the lake. There were many lagoons around Lake Biwa, but most of them were reclaimed in 1940s. One of the preserved lagoons is the wetland ( 水郷 , suigō ) in Omihachiman, and it was selected as the first Important Cultural Landscapes in 2006. The lake divides the prefecture into four different areas: Kohoku (湖北, north of lake) centered Nagahama, Kosei (湖西, west of lake) centered Imazu , Kotō (湖東, east of lake) centered Hikone and Konan (湖南, south of lake) centered Otsu. Plains stretch to
3672-702: The Biwako and Suzuka Quasi-National Parks; and Kotō , Kutsuki-Katsuragawa , and Mikami-Tanakami-Shigaraki Prefectural Natural Parks. Thirteen cities are located in Shiga Prefecture: These are the towns in each district : The current governor of Shiga is Taizō Mikazuki , a former member of the House of Representatives from Shiga ( DPJ , 3rd district), who was narrowly elected in July 2014 with center-left support against ex-METI-bureaucrat Takashi Koyari (supported by
3780-553: The Chevrolet Onix , are often sold without airbags, as neither airbags nor automatic braking systems in new cars are compulsory in many Latin American countries. Some require the installation of a minimum of only two airbags in new cars which many in this market have. The Citroën C4 provided the first "shaped" driver airbag, made possible by this car's unusual fixed-hub steering wheel. In 2019, Honda announced it would introduce
3888-479: The Department of Transportation (DOT)". The recall was prompted by an investigation (PE94-052) carried out by the NHTSA on Honda vehicles, after owners reported seat belt buckles either failing to latch, latching and releasing automatically, or releasing in accidents. It revealed that potentially faulty Takata seat belts were not limited only to Honda vehicles, but to other Japanese imports as well. The NHTSA started
3996-680: The Dodge Stealth and the Geo series (except Prizm ) under General Motors. Ford had vehicles such as the Probe manufactured by Mazda on its MX-6 platform and the Festiva produced by Kia in South Korea, but engineered by Mazda that also had the seat belts. However, unlike Chrysler and General Motors, Ford did not admit that their seat belts could be defective. Initially, some Japanese manufacturers suspected that
4104-539: The Eaton, Yale & Towne company for Ford, was soon also offered as an automatic safety system in the United States, while the Italian Eaton-Livia company offered a variant with localized air cushions. In the early 1970s, General Motors began offering cars equipped with airbags, initially in government fleet-purchased 1973 Chevrolet Impala sedans. These cars came with a 1974-style Oldsmobile instrument panel and
4212-626: The Heian period , the Sasaki clan ruled Omi, and afterward, the Rokkaku clan , Kyōgoku clan , and Azai clans ruled Omi. While during the Azuchi-Momoyama period , Oda Nobunaga subjugated Omi and built Azuchi Castle on the eastern shores of Lake Biwa in 1579. Tōdō Takatora , Gamō Ujisato , Oichi , Yodo-dono , Ohatsu , and Oeyo were Omi notables during this period. In 1600, Ishida Mitsunari , born in
4320-476: The Honda Legend . In 1988, Chrysler became the first United States automaker to fit a driver-side airbag as standard equipment, which was offered in six different models. The following year, Chrysler became the first US auto manufacturer to offer driver-side airbags in all its new passenger models. Chrysler also began featuring the airbags in advertisements showing how the devices had saved lives that helped
4428-679: The Maibara Station in northern Shiga and the city of Ōtsu in the south. The Maibara Station is about 2 hours and 20 minutes away from the Tokyo Station by the Tokaido Shinkansen. It is easy to go to Ōtsu from Kyoto and Osaka by high-speed trains. Shiga's most prominent feature is Lake Biwa. The northern shore is especially scenic, such as the cherry blossoms of Kaizu Osaki in spring and the sacred island Chikubu-shima . The western shore has white sand beaches, popular among Kyotoites during
Takata Corporation - Misplaced Pages Continue
4536-470: The NHTSA announced recall campaigns of an additional estimated 35-40 million inflators, adding to the already 28.8 million inflators previously recalled. On January 13, 2017, the United States charged three Takata executives, Shinichi Tanaka, Hideo Nakajima and Tsuneo Chikaraishi for Takata's exploding airbags. The company agreed to plead guilty and to pay $ 1 billion to resolve the investigation, which consisted of
4644-679: The National Diet , Shiga is represented by four directly elected members of the House of Representatives and two (one per ordinary election) of the House of Councillors . For the proportional representation segment of the lower house, the prefecture forms part of the Kinki block . After the national elections of 2016 , 2017 and 2019 , the directly elected delegation to the Diet from Shiga consists of (as of August 1, 2019): Cultivated areas occupy nearly one-sixth of
4752-449: The automotive industry . On June 25, 2017, Takata filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States and filed for bankruptcy protection in Japan, owing more in compensation than was possible for its survival. Their remaining assets were sold to its largest competitor, Chinese owned and Michigan based Key Safety Systems , for about $ 1.6 billion. On April 11, 2018, following the completion of Key Safety Systems’ acquisition of Takata,
4860-621: The 1960s, Shiga developed industry, supporting major factories owned by companies such as IBM Japan , Canon , Yanmar Diesel , Mitsubishi , and Toray . According to Cabinet Office 's statistics in 2014, the Manufacturing sector accounted for 35.4% of Gross Shiga Product, the highest proportion in Japan. Traditional industries include textiles, Shigaraki ware , Butsudan in Hikone and Nagahama, medicines in Koka, and fan ribs in Adogawa . The population
4968-507: The 1980s the company changed its name to "Takata Corporation" and expanded internationally to Korea, the United States, and later to the United Kingdom, to sell seat belts. In 2000, Takata Corporation acquired German competitor Petri AG , forming the European subsidiary Takata-Petri which was renamed Takata AG in early 2012. Takata AG produced steering wheels and plastic parts, not only for
5076-639: The 19th century. Besides the Hikone Domain, many domains ruled Omi such as Zeze . With the abolition of the han system , eight prefectures were formed in Omi. They were unified into Shiga Prefecture in September 1872. "Shiga Prefecture" was named after " Shiga District " because Otsu belonged to the district until 1898. From August 1876 to February 1881, southern Fukui Prefecture had been incorporated into Shiga Prefecture. In 2015, Shiga Governor Taizō Mikazuki conducted
5184-464: The 2010 and 2011 Mercury Milan, and the 2010 to 2014 Ford Mustang. This was a planned expansion of previously recalled vehicles as identified earlier by the NHTSA. On December 4, 2019, Takata recalled another 1.4 million front driver inflators in the U.S., according to government documents. On December 17, 2019, The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) issued a new warning affecting around 78,000 cars manufactured between 1996 and 2000 of
5292-466: The 2021 model year) for the Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W223) . The W223 S-Class is the first car equipped with rear seat airbags that use gas to inflate supporting structures that unfold and extend a bag that fills with ambient air, instead of conventional fully gas-inflated airbags that are widely used in automotive airbag systems. Essentially, two types of side airbags are commonly used today -
5400-473: The 20th century, waterborne transportation in Lake Biwa was disused except for steamer services to islands on the lake and pleasure boats. Shiga has cooperative agreements with three states. 35°7′N 136°4′E / 35.117°N 136.067°E / 35.117; 136.067 Airbag An airbag is a vehicle occupant-restraint system using a bag designed to inflate in milliseconds during
5508-507: The Hiei-zan Driveway and Oku-Hiei Driveway overlooking the southwestern shore. In Ōtsu, the Ōtsu Prince Hotel's Top of Otsu restaurant provides views of the lake and city. The Michigan paddlewheel boat offers lake cruises. Besides the natural environment, historical buildings, and festivals, several persons of national importance hail from Shiga prefecture. Shiga has 807 National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties , making it
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#17328587442335616-557: The Mexican plant to a Takata plant in Germany. In June 2014, Takata admitted their Mexican subsidiary had mishandled the manufacture of explosive propellants and improperly stored chemicals used in airbags. Identifying vehicles with defective airbags was made more difficult by the failure of TK Holdings Inc. to keep proper quality control records. That prompted another round of recalls in June 2014. In
5724-756: The NHTSA that they were conducting limited regional recalls to address a possible safety defect involving Takata air bag inflators. In May 2014, General Motors expanded their earlier recall of their 2012 Chevrolet Cruze sedan and other models because of an electrical problem with the Takata airbags. The recall also included the Buick Verano , the Chevrolet Sonic and the Chevrolet Camaro . On June 25, 2014, General Motors told their North American dealers to stop selling their 2013 and 2014 model Chevrolet Cruze sedans. GM stated, "Certain vehicles may be equipped with
5832-573: The New Zealand government, having decided "they present the highest safety risk to drivers and passengers," announced a compulsory recall of 50,000 vehicles fitted with Alpha-type Takata airbags. This compulsory recall is said to be only the second in New Zealand's history and the largest vehicle recall of its kind. The Ministry of Commerce and Consumer Affairs stated that it will also block the importation of any vehicles whose faulty airbags have not been replaced. On June 28, 2018, Transport Canada announced
5940-811: The Takata airbag. This recall affected 50,000 Toyota and 11,000 General Motors vehicles. As of January 2024, over 100 million airbag inflators worldwide have been recalled by more than 20 carmakers. As of September 2024, 28 deaths in the US and 35 deaths globally have been attributed to the faulty airbag inflators. As of 2017, car manufacturers affected by this recall include Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daimler Trucks North America, Daimler Vans USA LLC, Dodge/Ram, Ferrari, Ford, GMC, Honda, Infiniti, Jaguar, Jeep, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Mazda, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz, Mercury, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Scion, Subaru, and Toyota. In 2014, BMW, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, and Toyota notified
6048-551: The United States and six in Malaysia ) that were related to Takata airbags. In April and May 2013, a total of 3.6 million cars were recalled due to defective Takata airbags. All of those airbags were made at, or otherwise used inflator units manufactured by, Takata's Monclova Plant in Coahuila, Mexico, operated by Takata's North American/Mexican subsidiary, TK Holdings Inc. In November 2014, BMW announced they would move any orders from
6156-456: The United States by American Honda Motor Co., Isuzu Motors of America Inc., Mazda Motor of America Inc., Nissan North America, Daihatsu Motor Co. American, Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America Inc. and Subaru of America Inc. also had affected seat belt buckles. Moreover, Chrysler , General Motors and Ford all had various models manufactured by Japanese companies with the affected seat belt buckles, but sold under American names such as
6264-565: The United States in the 1970s. When seat-belt usage rates in the country were quite low compared to modern-day, Ford built experimental cars with airbags in 1971. Allstate operated a fleet of 200 Mercury Montereys and showed the reliability of airbags as well as their operation in crash testing, which also was promoted by the insurance company in popular magazine advertisements. General Motors followed in 1973 using full-sized Chevrolet vehicles. The early fleet of experimental GM vehicles equipped with airbags experienced seven fatalities, one of which
6372-525: The airbag as a seat-belt replacement, and the bags are now nominally designated as supplemental restraint systems ( SRS ) or supplemental inflatable restraints. In 1981, Mercedes-Benz introduced the airbag in West Germany as an option on its flagship saloon model, S-Class (W126) . In the Mercedes system, the sensors automatically tensioned the seat belts to reduce occupants' motion on impact and then deployed
6480-416: The airbag electronic controller unit (ECU), including collision type, angle, and severity of impact. Using this information, the airbag ECU's crash algorithm determines if the crash event meets the criteria for deployment and triggers various firing circuits to deploy one or more airbag modules within the vehicle. Airbag module deployments are activated through a pyrotechnic process designed to be used once as
6588-470: The airbag in the original recall. Honda is replacing these airbags with units that feature a desiccated inflator. On January 4, 2019, Ford issued a recall for an additional 953,000 vehicles, including 782,384 in the United States and federalized territories and 149,652 in Canada. Affected vehicles included 2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX, the 2010 and 2011 Ford Ranger, the 2010 to 2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ,
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#17328587442336696-573: The airbag itself. The emergence of the airbag has contributed to a sharp decline in the number of deaths and serious injuries on the roads of Europe since 1990, and by 2010, the number of cars on European roads lacking an airbag represented a very small percentage of cars, mostly the remaining cars dating from the mid-1990s or earlier. Many new cars in Latin America, including the Kia Rio , Kia Picanto , Hyundai Grand i10 , Mazda 2 , Chevrolet Spark and
6804-448: The airbag on impact. This integrated the seat belts and the airbag into a restraint system, rather than the airbag being considered an alternative to the seat belt. In 1987, the Porsche 944 Turbo became the first car to have driver and passenger airbags as standard equipment. The Porsche 944 and 944S had this as an available option. The same year also had the first airbag in a Japanese car,
6912-553: The airbag to its model ranges in 1992. Citroën , Fiat , Nissan , Hyundai , Peugeot , Renault , and Volkswagen followed shortly afterwards. By 1999, finding a new mass-market car without an airbag at least as optional equipment was difficult, and some late 1990s products, such as the Volkswagen Golf Mk4 , also featured side airbags. The Peugeot 306 is one example of the European automotive mass-market evolution: starting in early 1993, most of these models did not even offer
7020-469: The airbag was installed in a few experimental Ford cars. In 1964, a Japanese automobile engineer, Yasuzaburou Kobori (小堀保三郎), started developing an airbag "safety net" system. His design harnessed an explosive to inflate an airbag, for which he was later awarded patents in 14 countries. He died in 1975, before seeing the widespread adoption of airbag systems. In 1967, a breakthrough in developing airbag crash sensors came when Allen K. Breed invented
7128-595: The backrest of the front seats and protect the head and the torso. In 1997, the BMW 7 Series and 5 Series were fitted with tubular-shaped head side airbags (inflatable tubular structure), the "Head Protection System (HPS)" as standard equipment. This airbag was designed to offer head protection in side impact collisions and also maintained inflation for up to seven seconds for rollover protection. However, this tubular-shaped airbag design has been quickly replaced by an inflatable 'curtain' airbag. In May 1998, Toyota began offering
7236-568: The center-right national-level ruling parties) to succeed governor Yukiko Kada . In June 2018, he was overwhelmingly reelected to a second term against only one, Communist challenger. The prefectural assembly has 44 members from 16 electoral districts, and is still elected in unified local elections (last round: 2019 ). As of July 2019, the assembly was composed by caucus as follows: LDP 20 members, Team Shiga ( CDP , DPP , former Kada supporters etc.) 14, JCP 4, Sazanami Club (of independents) 3, Kōmeitō 2, "independent"/non-attached 1. In
7344-527: The company announced that the company would be renamed to Joyson Safety Systems , and continue to operate in Michigan as Key Safety Systems. In May 1995, a recall in the U.S. affecting 8,428,402 predominantly Japanese built vehicles made from 1986 to 1991 with seat belts manufactured by the Takata Corporation of Japan, was issued. It was called at the time the "second largest recall in the 30-year history of
7452-631: The curtain airbags are programmed to deploy during some/all frontal impacts to manage passenger kinetics (e.g. head hitting B-pillar on the rebound), especially in offset crashes such as the IIHS's small overlap crash test. Roll-sensing curtain airbags are designed to stay inflated for a longer duration of time, cover a larger proportion of the window, and be deployed in a roll-over crash. They offer protection to occupants' heads and help to prevent ejection. SUVs and pickups are more likely to be equipped with RSCAs due to their higher probability of rolling over and often
7560-433: The door. These airbags are designed to reduce the risk of injury to the pelvic and lower abdomen regions. Most vehicles are now being equipped with different types of designs, to help reduce injury and ejection from the vehicle in rollover crashes. More recent side-airbag designs include a two-chamber system; a firmer lower chamber for the pelvic region and softer upper chamber for the ribcage. Swedish company Autoliv AB
7668-581: The driver and the front passenger. In the United States, NHTSA estimated that airbags had saved over 4,600 lives by 1 September 1999; however, the crash deployment experience of the early 1990s installations indicated that some fatalities and serious injuries were in fact caused by airbags. In 1998, NHTSA initiated new rules for advanced airbags that gave automakers more flexibility in devising effective technological solutions. The revised rules also required improved protection for occupants of different sizes regardless of whether they use seat belts, while minimizing
7776-412: The driver's knees and legs and a knee airbag worked well." Since then certain models have also included front-passenger knee airbags, which deploy near or over the glove compartment in a crash. Knee airbags are designed to reduce leg injury. The knee airbag has become increasingly common since 2000. In 2008, the new Toyota iQ microcar featured the first production rear-curtain shield airbag to protect
7884-674: The east of Nagahama and based in Sawayama Castle , made war against Tokugawa Ieyasu in Sekigahara, Gifu . After the battle, Ieyasu made Ii Naomasa a new lord of Sawayama. Naomasa established the Hikone Domain , later famous for Ii Naosuke . Ii Naosuke became the Tokugawa shogunate's Tairō and concluded commercial treaties with the Western powers and thus ended Japan's isolation from the world in
7992-579: The eastern shore of Lake Biwa. The prefecture is enclosed by mountain ranges with the Hira Mountains and Mount Hiei in the west, the Ibuki Mountains in the northeast, and the Suzuka Mountains in the southeast. Mount Ibuki is the highest mountain in Shiga. In Yogo , a small lake is famous for the legend of the heavenly robe of an angel ( 天女の羽衣 , tennyo no hagoromo ) , which is similar to
8100-426: The fact that passive devices and systems—those requiring no input or action by the vehicle occupant—can operate independently in an active manner; an airbag is one such device. Vehicle safety professionals are generally careful in their use of language to avoid this sort of confusion. However, advertising principles sometimes prevent such semantic caution in the consumer marketing of safety features. Further confusing
8208-450: The first SUV to offer a driver-side airbag when it was launched in 1992. Driver and passenger airbags became standard equipment in all Dodge Intrepid , Eagle Vision , and Chrysler Concorde sedans ahead of any safety regulations. Early 1993 saw the 4-millionth airbag-equipped Chrysler vehicle roll off the assembly line. In October 1993, the Dodge Ram became the first pickup truck with
8316-583: The following makes; Audi, BMW, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Suzuki and Toyota. In June 2021, Joyson announced that they had discovered over a thousand cases where Takata had falsified seat belt safety test data. In July 2022, Stellantis asked 29,000 owners of 2003 Dodge Ram pickups to stop driving after a person was killed when a Takata air bag inflator exploded. In November Stellantis urged an additional 276,000 car owners to stop driving their vehicles after three other crash deaths were tied to Takata air bag inflators. In February 2023, Honda issued warnings to
8424-528: The hazard at least five years before the recall, but never reported the problem to the NHTSA, nor offered to conduct a voluntary recall. Takata began making airbags in 1988 and by 2014, held 20 percent of the market. During 2013, several automakers began large recalls of vehicles due to Takata-made airbags. Reports state that the problems may have begun a decade before, with the faulty airbags placed in some Honda models starting in 1998. Honda stated they knew of more than 100 injuries and thirteen deaths (seven in
8532-474: The highest of any prefecture. Shiga Prefecture's southern half is located adjacent to the former capital city of Kyoto and forms part of Greater Kyoto , the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Japan. Shiga Prefecture is home to Ōmi beef , the Eight Views of Ōmi , and Hikone Castle , one of four national treasure castles in Japan. Shiga was known as Ōmi Province or Gōshū before the prefectural system
8640-589: The largest auto recall in history. Takata has already recalled 40 million vehicles across 12 vehicle brands for "Airbags that could explode and potentially send shrapnel into the face and body of both the driver and front seat passenger". This recall brought the number up to about 53 million automobiles eligible for this recall. In November 2015, Takata was fined $ 200 million ($ 70 million paid upfront) by U.S. federal regulators in response to Takata's admission of fault. Toyota, Mazda and Honda have said that they will not use ammonium nitrate -based inflators. On May 4, 2016,
8748-450: The late 1980s and early 1990s. Many modern vehicles now include six or more units. Airbags are considered "passive" restraints and act as a supplement to "active" restraints. Because no action by a vehicle occupant is required to activate or use the airbag, it is considered a "passive" device. This is in contrast to seat belts , which are considered "active" devices because the vehicle occupant must act to enable them. This terminology
8856-553: The municipality of São Gonçalo in Rio de Janeiro in April 2024. Shiga Prefecture Shiga Prefecture ( 滋賀県 , Shiga-ken ) is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu . Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,412,916 as of 1 October 2015 and has a geographic area of 4,017 km (1,551 sq mi). Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to
8964-400: The north, Gifu Prefecture to the northeast, Mie Prefecture to the southeast, and Kyoto Prefecture to the west. Ōtsu is the capital and largest city of Shiga Prefecture, with other major cities including Kusatsu , Nagahama , and Higashiōmi . Shiga Prefecture encircles Lake Biwa , the largest freshwater lake in Japan, and 37% of the total land area is designated as Natural Parks ,
9072-577: The occupant's head in place, like a catcher's mitt. The goal of the tri-chamber airbag is to help "arrest high-speed movement" of the head, thereby reducing the likelihood of concussion injuries in a collision. The first vehicle to come with the tri-chamber airbag installed from the factory was in 2020 (for the 2021 model year) for the Acura TLX . Honda hopes that the new technology will soon make its way to all vehicles. Mercedes began offering rear passengers protection in frontal collisions in September 2020 (for
9180-399: The option for its 1977 model year , citing a lack of consumer interest. Ford and GM then spent years lobbying against air-bag requirements, claiming that the devices were unfeasible and inappropriate. Chrysler made driver-side airbags standard on 1988 and 1989 models, but airbags did not become widespread in American cars until the early 1990s. Airbags for passenger cars were introduced in
9288-402: The owners of 8,200 Acura and Honda vehicles not to drive following a death caused by a faulty Takata air bag inflator. Honda has reported 17 deaths and more than 200 injuries in the United States related to Takata inflators. In January 2024, Toyota and General Motors issued a recall of 61,000 of their older Corolla, Matrix, RAV4 and Pontiac Vibe model vehicles sold in the United States that carry
9396-486: The prefecture with the fourth largest number of such properties in Japan. Shiga's most famous historical building is Hikone Castle , one of four national treasure castles in the country. The castle tower is well-preserved and has many cherry trees. The neighboring city of Nagahama has tourism in addition to its hikiyama festival. Nearby shrines include Hiyoshi Taisha in Otsu and Taga-taisha in Taga, which respectively head
9504-989: The prefecture. Rice is the principal crop: over 90 percent of the farmlands are rice fields. Most farms are small, producing only a slight income. Most farmers depend on income from other sources. Eastern Shiga is famous for cattle breeding and southeastern Shiga is famous for green tea . On Lake Biwa, some people are engaged in fishery and freshwater pearl farming. Since the Medieval Period, especially in Edo period , many Shiga people were active in commerce and were called Ōmi merchants ( 近江商人 , Ōmi shōnin, Ōmi akindo ) , sometimes Ōmi thieves ( 近江泥棒 , Ōmi dorobō ) by other envious merchants. For example, Nippon Life , Itochu , Marubeni , Takashimaya , Wacoal and Yanmar were founded by people from Shiga. In their home towns such as Omihachiman, Hino, Gokashō and Toyosato, their mansions were preserved as tourist attractions. Beginning in
9612-451: The public know the value of them and safety became a selling advantage in the late 1980s. All versions of the Chrysler minivans came with airbags starting for the 1991 model year. In 1993, The Lincoln Motor Company boasted that all vehicles in their model line were equipped with dual airbags, one for the driver's side and another for the passenger's side. The 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee became
9720-504: The rear occupants' heads in the event of a rear-end impact. Another feature of the Toyota iQ was a seat-cushion airbag in the passenger seat to prevent the pelvis from diving below the lap belt during a frontal impact or submarining. Later Toyota models such as the Yaris added the feature to the driver's seat, as well. The seat-belt airbag is designed to better distribute the forces experienced by
9828-425: The recall of 222,336 Honda vehicles manufactured between 2001 and 2007 that previously had their front passenger airbags modified under the original Takata airbag recall of June 23, 2014. The modifications done to the original airbags feature a non-desiccated inflator, which could rupture upon deployment, causing metal inflator fragments to pass through the cushion material, causing injury or death. Honda did not replace
9936-420: The risk to infants, children, and other occupants caused by airbags. In Europe , airbags were almost unheard of until the early 1990s. By 1991, four manufacturers – BMW , Honda , Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo – offered the airbag on some of their higher-end models, but shortly afterward, airbags became a common feature on more mainstream cars, with Ford and Vauxhall / Opel among the manufacturers to introduce
10044-423: The road. Despite working with the major automobile manufacturers of his time, Hetrick was unable to attract investment. Although airbags are now required in every automobile sold in the United States, Hetrick's 1951 patent filing serves as an example of a "valuable" invention with little economic value to its inventor. Its first commercial use was not implemented until after the patent expired in 1971, at which point
10152-419: The seat belt failures were a result of user abuse, rather than a design failure; however, the nine-month investigation by the NHTSA concluded that the cause of the defect was that the buckles were made of ABS plastic . Through exposure to ultraviolet light over a period of time, the plastic became brittle and pieces fell off, causing a jamming of the release button mechanism. The manufacturers involved agreed to
10260-615: The seventh and twentieth largest shrine networks in Japan, at about 4,000 shrines and 260 shrines, respectively. Festivals include the hikiyama festival (floats parade festival), held in ten areas such as Nagahama , Otsu, Maibara, Hino and Minakuchi. The Nagahama hikiyama festival held each April is one of the three major hikiyama festivals in Japan and was designated an Important Intangible Cultural Property in 1979. During this festival ornate floats are mounted with miniature stages on which boys (playing both male and female roles) act in kabuki plays. Higashiomi (formerly Yōkaichi ) city holds
10368-534: The side-torso airbag and the side-curtain airbag. More recently, center airbags are becoming more common in the European market. Most vehicles equipped with side-curtain airbags also include side-torso airbags. However, some, such as the Chevrolet Cobalt , 2007–09 model Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra , and 2009–12 Dodge Ram do not feature the side-torso airbag. From around 2000, side-impact airbags became commonplace on even low- to mid-range vehicles, such as
10476-515: The smaller-engined versions of the Ford Fiesta and Peugeot 206 , and curtain airbags were also becoming regular features on mass-market cars. The Toyota Avensis , launched in 2003, was the first mass-market car to be sold in Europe with nine airbags. Side-impact airbags or side-torso airbags are a category of airbags usually located in the seat or door panel, and inflate between the seat occupant and
10584-507: The summer. The scenery of the southern shore, particularly around Otsu, was selected as Ōmi Hakkei or Eight Views of Ōmi , popularized by Hiroshige 's ukiyo-e . Most of the original eight views are now almost gone or changed from centuries ago. One remaining view is the Ukimidō "floating temple" building at Mangetsu-ji temple in Katata, northern Ōtsu. It was reconstructed with concrete in 1937, but
10692-472: The terminology, the aviation safety community uses the terms "active" and "passive" in the opposite sense from the automotive industry. The airbag "for the covering of aeroplane and other vehicle parts" traces its origins to a United States patent, submitted in 1919 by two dentists from Birmingham , Arthur Parrott and Harold Round. The patent was approved in 1920. Air-filled bladders were in use as early as 1951. The airbag specifically for automobile use
10800-561: The vehicle. This was in response to a US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation that was initiated after the NHTSA received three injury complaints. In a statement on June 23, 2014, Takata said they believed excessive moisture was the cause of the defect. Haruo Otani, an official at the vehicle recall section of the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism , said that moisture and humidity could be seeping inside inflators, destabilizing
10908-408: The volatile propellant inside. In July 2014, a pregnant Malaysian woman was killed in a collision involving her 2003 Honda City which contained a defective airbag. The woman, aged 42, died when a metal fragment from a ruptured driver's side airbag sliced into her neck in the accident in which she was driving at around 30 km/h (18 mph) when another vehicle hit her at a junction, according to
11016-428: The world's first door-mounted, side-curtain airbags that deployed upwards. Curtain airbags have been said to reduce brain injury or fatalities by up to 45% in a side impact with an SUV. These airbags come in various forms (e.g., tubular, curtain, door-mounted) depending on the needs of the application. Many recent SUVs and MPVs have a long inflatable curtain airbag that protects all rows of seats. In many vehicles,
11124-455: Was announced that 106,806 Volkswagen vehicles, including models such as the Golf, Passat, Polo, CC Eos, and Up! , have been recalled for containing defective Takata airbags. On March 2, 2018, Holden announced that the airbag recall now includes 330,000 of their Australian vehicles, despite not originally having any of their cars in the federal government's compulsory recall list. On April 4, 2018,
11232-574: Was discovered when the company was conducting tests on a 458 Italia and the airbags would deploy at a rotated orientation, potentially causing injuries. Ford added certain models to the list after a 10th death occurred when the airbag in a 2006 Ford Ranger pickup driven by a Georgia man ruptured violently in South Carolina, in late December 2015. Takata claimed that the issue has only been shown to affect vehicles in hot and humid locations. However, all potentially affected vehicles have been recalled as
11340-486: Was established. Omi was a neighbor of Nara and Kyoto , at the junction of western and eastern Japan. During the period 667 to 672, Emperor Tenji founded a palace in Otsu. In 742, Emperor Shōmu founded a palace in Shigaraki . In the early Heian period , Saichō was born in the north of Otsu and founded Enryaku-ji , the center of Tendai and a UNESCO World Heritage Site and monument of Ancient Kyoto now. During
11448-448: Was granted a patent on side-impact airbags, and they were first offered as an option in 1994 on the 1995 Volvo 850 , and as standard equipment on all Volvo cars made after 1995. In 1997, Saab introduced the first combined head and torso airbags with the launch of the Saab 9-5 . Some cars, such as the 2010 Volkswagen Polo Mk.5 have combined head- and torso-side airbags. These are fitted in
11556-485: Was later suspected to have been caused by the airbag. In 1974, GM made its ACRS system (which consisted of a padded lower dashboard and a passenger-side air bag) available as a regular production option (RPO code AR3) in full-sized Cadillac, Buick and Oldsmobile models. The GM cars from the 1970s equipped with ACRS had a driver-side airbag, and a driver-side knee restraint. The passenger-side airbag protected both front passengers, and unlike most modern systems, integrated
11664-525: Was used in the Kia Sportage SUV and has been standard equipment since then. The airbag is located beneath the steering wheel. The Toyota Caldina introduced the first driver-side SRS knee airbag on the Japanese market in 2002. Toyota Avensis became the first vehicle sold in Europe equipped with a driver's knee airbag. The EuroNCAP reported on the 2003 Avensis, "There has been much effort to protect
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