Nissan recalls more than 54,000 cars because airbags can deploy when door slams.

The AP (3/11) reports on a recall of “more than 54,000 cars” by Nissan in North America “because of curtain and seat-mounted air bags that may unexpected deploy when the door is slammed.” The company says the defect affects Versas from 2012 and “may be caused by the degradation of the side impact sensor connector pins.” 

Mercedes-Benz recalls 1 million vehicles for fire risk.

Motor Trend (3/6, 2.62M) reports Mercedes-Benz is recalling “roughly 1 million vehicles worldwide due to a fire risk involving a starter part.” According to the company, “the fires stem from a flawed current limiter or fuse that can overheat and melt other parts after repeated attempts to start.” WBNS-TV Columbus, OH (3/6, 184K) reports online that 308,000 of the vehicles are located in the US. Mercedes-Benz is “currently unaware of any injuries or deaths resulting from the issue.” 

Mercedes recalls more than 350,000 cars for fire risk.

Consumerist (3/3, Kieler, 56K) reports on “the recall of 354,434 model year 2015 to 2017 C-Class, E-Class, and CLA cars and GLA and GLC SUVs” by Mercedes-Benz over fire risks due to defective starters “that can overheat.”

        The Car Connection (3/3, Read, 86K), Cars (3/3, Masterson, 716K), Law360 (3/3, Kass, 23K), and the Automotive Fleet (3/3, 62K) also report. 

Atlee Hall Attorney Jaime Jackson Speaks to National Audience on the Sorin Stockert 3T Heater Cooler Device and Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Chimaera Infections

Atlee Hall Attorney Jaime Jackson recently updated a group of attorneys gathered in Miami, Florida on the status of litigation involving the Sorin 3T heater-cooler devices.  Atlee Hall has been at the forefront of this litigation involving the Sorin 3T and the Nontuberculous Mycobacteria chimaera (NTM) bacteria infection, since 2014

It had been alleged that the Sorin 3T heater-cooler devices manufactured by Sorin Group Deutschland and distributed by Sorin Group USA in Arvada, Colorado, contained Nontuberculous Mycobacteria chimaera, which contaminated patients at local hospitals during open heart surgical procedures.  The CDC referred to a recent study published in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report which confirmed that genome sequencing from patients with confirmed bacterial infections matched bacteria samples taken from contaminated machines.   The study identifies contamination of the devices at the company’s manufacturing plant in Munchen, Germany.

While many hospitals have not yet disclosed patient infections to date, Pennsylvania hospitals in Philadelphia, York, and Dauphin counties have revealed the presence of infections.  Most recently, Penn Presbyterian Hospital in Philadelphia has confirmed that several of its patients have been diagnosed with the infection.  It is expected that the number of confirmed cases will continue to grow after the publication of this study since the Sorin devices comprise approximately 60% of the market for these devices.  Atlee Hall, LLP currently represents several patients who have contracted the NTM infection from the Sorin Stockert 3T Heater-Cooler Devices 

        Attorneys mobilize for legal challenges to Trump policies. The New York Times (1/30, Savage, Subscription Publication, 13.9M) reports that “the calls and emails went out a little past 10 p.m. Friday, rippling through an informal network of current and former Yale Law School students who had worked at the school’s immigrant rights advocacy clinic.” The news “told of an Iraqi man being detained at Kennedy International Airport because of President Trump’s travel ban, putting him at imminent risk of deportation.” According to the Times, “around three dozen lawyers and law students across the country” worked through the night and “slammed together a legal complaint asking a federal judge to free the man” and “to certify their lawsuit as a class action on behalf of others in a similar situation.” They filed their lawsuit around 5:30 am “on the electronic docket system for the Eastern District of New York,” and thus “began the opening salvos of the legal pushback to Mr. Trump’s executive order banning entry to refugees and others from seven predominantly Muslim countries.” 

Honda airbag recall expanded.

The CBS Evening News (1/11, story 9, 0:30, Pelley, 11.17M) reported Honda is recalling an additional 772,000 vehicles due to defective Takata air bags, bringing the recall to “as many as 69 million air bags in American cars and trucks.”

        Car and Driver (1/11, Atiyeh, 5.64M) reports that Honda’s addition of “772,000 more cars” to the airbag recalls comes “as the troubled Japanese supplier announced new repair schedules for several million inflators currently under recall.” The article notes that “Honda has the most US vehicles of any automaker affected by the Takata recalls,” with the total “now standing at 11.4 million cars and motorcycles.” 

FCA recalls 100,000 vehicles worldwide to fix Takata airbags.

The AP (1/6) reports Fiat Chrysler issued a recall notice for “more than 100,000 older trucks and SUVs worldwide to replace potentially dangerous Takata air bag inflators,” which have been at the heart of the largest auto recall in world history.

        USA Today (1/6, 5.28M) reports online that the recall mostly affects “passenger but some driver air bags in certain 2009 Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango SUVs, some 2010 Ram 3500 chassis cabs, and certain 2005-2009 Ram 2500 pickups.”

        Reuters (1/6) also reports.

        Takata says 1.3 million more faulty airbag inflators in US vehicles. AutoBeat Daily (1/6, Subscription Publication) reports Takata announced “another 1.3 million of its front airbag inflators in the U.S. could explode,” but the company informed NHTSA “that the new batch of devices can do the same after only moderate heat and humidity cycles.” The vehicles are mostly from the 2009 model year, with “20 states and the District of Columbia” falling under the recall.