Tether is new airbag issue
Their concerns centre around tethers, internal straps that keep air bags from inflating too far into the vehicle compartment. But many passenger-side air bags do not have tethers, which cost around $3 apiece.
Robert Palmer, an attorney who specializes in air bag cases says as many as 30 million to 40 million vehicles on US roads may have untethered passenger-side air bags.
But auto companies argue that untethered air bags are perfectly safe because the size and shape of passenger side air bags vary more than driver-side bags, depending on the volume and design of the cabin. according to GM engineer Bob Lange, they make the choice to use a tether when it is appropriate to do so, but it's not necessary for every air bag.
Air bags have been linked to 175 deaths, including 104 children, from 1989 to this year, according to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. But so-called second-generation bags which can deploy with less force depending on the force of impact have largely dealt with this issue. Now lawyers are looking more closely at nonfatal injuries allegedly caused by air bags, and have been taking a growing number of cases involving untethered air bags.