A California woman has filed a lawsuit alleging she suffered serious injuries after the gas pedal in her Porsche Cayenne became stuck, causing a high-speed crash in which the vehicle’s airbags failed to deploy.
The complaint (PDF) was brought by Linda Baca in the Superior Court of Alameda County, California on June 22, naming Porsche Cars North America Inc. as the defendant.
Baca claims the Porsche Cayenne accelerated uncontrollably after the gas pedal became stuck, causing a high-speed crash in which the airbags and seatbelt restraints failed to activate, leaving her with severe head, chest and upper body injuries.
Airbag Failure Risks
Airbags are intended to inflate almost instantly during a collision, helping protect occupants by reducing the impact with the steering wheel, dashboard, windshield and other parts of the vehicle’s interior. When an airbag fails to deploy or otherwise malfunctions, drivers and passengers can lose an important layer of crash protection, increasing the likelihood of severe or fatal injuries.
A series of airbag failure lawsuits have been filed against automobile manufacturers in recent years. In March, a lawsuit was filed against Toyota alleging a design defect caused the airbags of a RAV4 vehicle to fail to deploy. The driver suffered severe head injuries after her head struck the steering wheel.
A wrongful death lawsuit was filed against FCA in mid-June after the airbag of a Jeep Grand Cherokee failed to deploy, allegedly resulting in the death of a Massachusetts man. In addition to the failed airbag, the lawsuit indicates the driver’s seat collapsed backward during the accident.