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11th U.S. Death Linked to Faulty Takata Airbag Inflator
Safety regulators say an exploding Takata Corp. airbag inflator has been blamed for an 11th fatality in the U.S.
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Safety regulators say an exploding Takata Corp. airbag inflator has been blamed for an 11th fatality in the U.S. At least five other such deaths have been reported overseas.
The victim, a 50-year-old woman, died late last month after a crash in southern California. Her 2001 model Honda Civic small car was among about 313,000 vehicles with inflators deemed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to be as much as 50% likely to misfire in a crash. If the inflator explodes, is can spray metal shrapnel into the passenger compartment.
Honda says the victim’s car had been recalled in 2008. But the vehicle was never repaired in spite of more than 20 recall notices mailed to the car’s various owners, according to the company.
Almost all the Takata inflator fatalities reported to date have involved a Honda vehicle. But more than a dozen other carmakers also are recalling cars that use the same devices. About 70 million Takata inflators in the U.S. have already been recalled or soon will be. Another 30 million units are being replaced elsewhere.
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