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18th Fatality Likely Caused by Takata Airbag Inflator Explosion

A traffic fatality in Sydney, Australia, is being blamed on a Takata Corp. airbag inflator that blasted shrapnel into the vehicle and cut the neck of the driver.
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A traffic fatality in Sydney, Australia, is being blamed on a Takata Corp. airbag inflator that blasted shrapnel into the vehicle and cut the neck of the driver.

The death is the 18th attributed to the Takata devices, which can deteriorate after long exposure to high heat and humidity, then misfire in a crash. Nineteen carmakers are replacing more than 100 million of the Takata inflators worldwide.

Honda Motor Co. confirms the vehicle in the Australian crash, a 2007 CR-V crossover, is among the models it has recalled to replace one or more inflators.

The report comes as Choice, an Australian consumer group, says five carmakers in the country admit they have temporarily swapped defective inflators with identical Takata devices that are prone to the same eventual deterioration and failure. The practice has been prompted by a shortage of more stable replacement devices.

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