Taurus Settlement and Drop-Safety Recall

By John Farnam

Taurus PT 609 9Mm In Shadow Gray With Titanium Slide
Taurus PT 609 9Mm In Shadow Gray With Titanium Slide, is included in the current Taurus recall.
Defense Training International, Inc
Defense Training International, Inc

Ft Collins, CO –-(Ammoland.com)- Brazilian-made Taurus pistols have been with us for several decades, enjoying a spotty reputation.

Their striker-fired “PT” line has represented, for most consumers, a low-cost alternative to Glocks, XDs, M&Ps, SIG 320s, Kahrs, et al

Over the past few years, Taurus PT Pistols have been implicated in a number of “drop-safety” incidents, both in the USA and Brazil. Taurus has paid out several substantial settlements as a result.

However, the latest is a class-action matter in which Taurus has agreed to pay out a settlement of over thirty million dollars, plus agree to recall at least a half million pistols already in consumers’ hands.

As noted, the issue is “drop-safety.”

The question on the floor is:

“Do American consumers have an inherent right to expect that any modern pistol, intended for serious purposes and in current production, be mechanically immune from trauma-induced discharges?”

In other words, should a pistol be safe from discharging as a direct result of an external blow, such as would occur when the pistol is accidentally dropped onto a hard surface?

US courts have consistently said “Yes,” to that question! This latest “settlement” by Taurus puts a stinging exclamation point at the end of that single-word reply!

I have been involved in a number of civil cases, where it was alleged that a pistol discharged when dropped. Most involved Glocks. In every case, the allegation was proven false. The plaintiff was simply lying, along with his sleazy lawyer! In every one of those cases, the defense team was able to persuasively demonstrate the discharge in question was a direct result of pressure being applied to the trigger, and no other reason.

I tell students that all modern pistols of reputable manufacture, including Glock, SIG, S&W, FNS, Walther PPQ, SA/XD, Kahr, Beretta, et al, are designed to be mechanically drop-safe. While we don’t deliberately drop pistols, to test the theory, over nearly fifty years I have witnessed many pistols accidentally dropped during training, and never once observed a discharge as a result, with any brand.

In fact, I advise students to let a pistol drop to the ground when they lose control of it, rather than fumble with it in an attempt to regain control. The risk of an AD during fumbling far exceeds the risk of an AD when the dropped pistol strikes the ground!

It now appears, at least with some Taurus pistols, that may not be good advice!

Not many of my students bring Taurus PT pistols to Class. However, as a result of this recent revelation, I now tell them to either send it back to Taurus to get fixed, or bring another brand of gun!

SA (Springfield Armory), manufacturers of the excellent XD line of pistols, ran into a similar issue two years ago. SA found it necessary to recall their XD/S.

Springfield Armory 3.3 XD-S Pistol
Springfield Armory 3.3 XD-S Pistol

A single customer, an XD/S owner, said he experienced a “slam-fire” with his XD/S pistol during the normal loading process. No injury nor property damage resulted, but SA still asked the customer to send the weapon back to them, which he did. During subsequent thorough testing at the factory, with all brands of ammunition, SA was unable to duplicate the reported slam-fire, with the pistol in question, nor with any other copy of the XD/S tested. No other slam-fire incidents, other than the single one mentioned above, have ever been reported. Unlike in Taurus’ case, there was never any civil litigation.

Nevertheless, engineers at Springfield Armory recommended to management that a small design change be implemented with the XD/S that would make the pistol absolutely drop-safe, and thus altogether immune from slam-fires and other trauma-induced ADs.

Springfield Armory courageously decided to voluntarily recall the XD/S for retrofit at the factory. The recall was done professionally, and included my copy. All work was done at no charge. Shipping was pre-paid, both ways.

Springfield Armory deserves a lot of credit for, at great expense, quietly and professionally correcting this ostensible design error, an error which, as noted above, is probably mostly imaginary.

Of course, we see automakers doing recalls all the time. In designing and manufacturing cars and guns, not all outcomes are foreseeable, no matter how much “computer simulation” we do!

I want all gun manufacturers to be widely successful! I’m sure Taurus will correct this problem, and that top management has learned the lesson, albeit belatedly.

Yes, guns are inherently dangerous. A fact not in dispute! But, mechanical drop-safety in serious, defensive pistols is, and should be, a universal requirement.

While there are never any guarantees, any pistol that fails that test is one I will never own!

“Doubt is not the opposite of faith; it is an element of faith.” ~ Paul Tillich

/John

About John Farnam & Defense Training International, Inc
As a defensive weapons and tactics instructor John Farnam will urge you, based on your own beliefs, to make up your mind in advance as to what you would do when faced with an imminent and unlawful lethal threat. You should, of course, also decide what preparations you should make in advance, if any. Defense Training International wants to make sure that their students fully understand the physical, legal, psychological, and societal consequences of their actions or inactions.

It is our duty to make you aware of certain unpleasant physical realities intrinsic to the Planet Earth. Mr Farnam is happy to be your counselor and advisor. Visit: www.defense-training.com

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James Fleming

As of 11 29 2018 is the first I’ve heard of the problem with the Taurus PT 24 /7 pro DS I understand the lawsuit is over and the dates are past, my question is can this firearm be fixed by a competent gunsmith. I do not believe putting a date on this settlement is that all fair as I am sure I’m not the only one who’s never heard of this. Why the government is letting them get away with it is beyond me. But I do not like the idea of owning a gun that may fire on… Read more »

Mike

Well it is August 2017 and Taurus customer service is as bad as ever. I filed the web form for the recall. No email back. Out of date information. If you call the toll free number there is an update that they have until September 2017 to appeal the latest ruling. I am sure Taurus does not want to do recall, but they could have given it a positive spin. But not Taurus. I am not sure why customer service could not be better trained than just telling customers to go to some website. I have no intention of purchasing… Read more »

Josh dixon

For what it’s worth,I joined the Taurus forums site, and from what I’ve gathered there the “return or replace” process is haywire at best.Some folks had their defective guns replaced with gen 2 “pro” models in a reasonable time frame,while others are still waiting some for over a year. Others were eventually offered different gen 2 models than what they sent in,even different calibers all together. The general consensus is Taurus is not in any hurry to stand by their customers.I think that’s a real shame. They make a lot of quality, dependable ,affordable guns- the tracker,the judge,raging bull,the beretta… Read more »

Travis

I just bought a Taurus Millennium PT140. It has a trigger safety on it. was this the repair? what exactly is the fix? and how do i know if my specific gun has been repaired?

Ted Starkey

PT 145 has defective, defeatable safety, and intolerable failure to feed problems. Great single shot pistol because that’s all I’ve ever been able to get from mine

Josh

Are there some recommended web sites, forums or videos for more information on this issue? I’m trying to make a decision on whether to send in my gen 1 pt 24/7 oss and my gen 1 pt111 or just keep them.My call to Taurus simply referred me politely to the lawsuit web page. I love how both guns shoot, I actually prefer the 24/7 to my beretta px4,but I live in country where stumbling or falling on rocky ground is a very real everyday possibility.