The Most Expensive Design Flaw In History
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Joe Scott
884.1K views • Feb 23, 2026

About this video
Be the first to see my new documentary feature Oldest and Newest Places On Earth on Nebula! Sign up at http://www.nebula.tv/joescott and get 50% off your annual subscription.
Corporate America is full of stories of recalls from products that have injured or killed consumers, but none can touch the scope and cost of the Takata Airbag Recall. After making the decision to use ammonium nitrate as the propellant in their airbag inflators, multiple people have been killed and hundreds injured by exploding airbags that throw metal into people’s faces. But as we talk about in today’s video, that is just the beginning of the story.
Here's the link to check if your car has any recalls - including the airbag recall:
https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls
Here's the link to the Takata airbag documentary I mentioned in the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBBDWbJYvrc
Want to support the channel? Here's how:
Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/answerswithjoe
Channel Memberships: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-2YHgc363EdcusLIBbgxzg/join
T-Shirts & Merch: https://laughsmarter.com
Book of Mysteries: https://a.co/d/0gRx0qvM
Documentary: https://nebula.tv/oldestnewest
Check out my 2nd channel, Joe Scott TMI:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqi721JsXlf0wq3Z_cNA_Ew
And my podcast channel, Conversations With Joe:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJzc7TiJ2nnuyJkUpOZ8RKA
You can listen to my podcast, Conversations With Joe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Spotify 👉 https://spoti.fi/37iPGzF
Apple Podcasts 👉 https://apple.co/3j94kfq
Google Podcasts 👉 https://bit.ly/3qZCo1V
Follow me at all my places!
Instagram: https://instagram.com/answerswithjoe
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@answerswithjoe
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/answerswithjoe
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/answerswithjoe
LINKS LINKS LINKS
https://www.reuters.com/article/world/uk/special-report-deadly-airbags-backfire-on-firm-that-crossed-dangerous-bridge-idUSBREA0C11E/
https://web.archive.org/web/20171201032751/http://www.takata.com/en/about/history.html
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/september-1/federal-legislation-makes-airbags-mandatory
https://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/safety-regulatory-devices/airbag.htm
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/10/business/compound-in-takata-airbags-is-inquirys-focus.html
https://www.britannica.com/science/ammonium-nitrate
https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2015/04/25/complex-air-bag-recall-takata/26377877/
https://www.designnews.com/assembly/airbags-materials-make-a-difference
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/10/business/compound-in-takata-airbags-is-inquirys-focus.html
https://www.livescience.com/28841-fertilizer-explosions-ammonium-nitrate.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/06/25/takata-air-bag-scandal-timeline/103184598/
https://www.newson6.com/story/5e3672a12f69d76f620834f6/questions-about-crash-that-killed-midwest-city-teen
https://motoringworldng.com/reported-takata-airbag-bomb-victims/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/truck-carrying-takata-inflators-explodes-killing-texas-woman/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/06/25/takata-air-bag-scandal-timeline/103184598/
https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/car-recalls-defects/takata-airbag-recall-everything-you-need-to-know-a1060713669/
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/01/13/509665912/takata-to-pay-1-billion-over-airbag-fraud-3-executives-criminally-charged
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - Intro
2:58 - The History of Airbags
4:12 - How Airbags Work
9:36 - Accidents
13:54 - The Fallout
15:40 - Sponsor - Nebula
Corporate America is full of stories of recalls from products that have injured or killed consumers, but none can touch the scope and cost of the Takata Airbag Recall. After making the decision to use ammonium nitrate as the propellant in their airbag inflators, multiple people have been killed and hundreds injured by exploding airbags that throw metal into people’s faces. But as we talk about in today’s video, that is just the beginning of the story.
Here's the link to check if your car has any recalls - including the airbag recall:
https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls
Here's the link to the Takata airbag documentary I mentioned in the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBBDWbJYvrc
Want to support the channel? Here's how:
Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/answerswithjoe
Channel Memberships: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-2YHgc363EdcusLIBbgxzg/join
T-Shirts & Merch: https://laughsmarter.com
Book of Mysteries: https://a.co/d/0gRx0qvM
Documentary: https://nebula.tv/oldestnewest
Check out my 2nd channel, Joe Scott TMI:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqi721JsXlf0wq3Z_cNA_Ew
And my podcast channel, Conversations With Joe:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJzc7TiJ2nnuyJkUpOZ8RKA
You can listen to my podcast, Conversations With Joe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Spotify 👉 https://spoti.fi/37iPGzF
Apple Podcasts 👉 https://apple.co/3j94kfq
Google Podcasts 👉 https://bit.ly/3qZCo1V
Follow me at all my places!
Instagram: https://instagram.com/answerswithjoe
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@answerswithjoe
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/answerswithjoe
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/answerswithjoe
LINKS LINKS LINKS
https://www.reuters.com/article/world/uk/special-report-deadly-airbags-backfire-on-firm-that-crossed-dangerous-bridge-idUSBREA0C11E/
https://web.archive.org/web/20171201032751/http://www.takata.com/en/about/history.html
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/september-1/federal-legislation-makes-airbags-mandatory
https://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/safety-regulatory-devices/airbag.htm
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/10/business/compound-in-takata-airbags-is-inquirys-focus.html
https://www.britannica.com/science/ammonium-nitrate
https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2015/04/25/complex-air-bag-recall-takata/26377877/
https://www.designnews.com/assembly/airbags-materials-make-a-difference
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/10/business/compound-in-takata-airbags-is-inquirys-focus.html
https://www.livescience.com/28841-fertilizer-explosions-ammonium-nitrate.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/06/25/takata-air-bag-scandal-timeline/103184598/
https://www.newson6.com/story/5e3672a12f69d76f620834f6/questions-about-crash-that-killed-midwest-city-teen
https://motoringworldng.com/reported-takata-airbag-bomb-victims/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/truck-carrying-takata-inflators-explodes-killing-texas-woman/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/06/25/takata-air-bag-scandal-timeline/103184598/
https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/car-recalls-defects/takata-airbag-recall-everything-you-need-to-know-a1060713669/
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/01/13/509665912/takata-to-pay-1-billion-over-airbag-fraud-3-executives-criminally-charged
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - Intro
2:58 - The History of Airbags
4:12 - How Airbags Work
9:36 - Accidents
13:54 - The Fallout
15:40 - Sponsor - Nebula
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Video Information
Views
884.1K
Likes
41.6K
Duration
18:38
Published
Feb 23, 2026
User Reviews
4.8
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