Another Driver Maimed by Exploding Takata Airbag Inflator

Honda Motor Co. says an 18-year-old driver of a 2002 Honda Accord suffered serious neck injuries last month after the Takata Corp. airbag inflator in her car exploded in a crash in Las Vegas.

The defective device appears to have been a recovered inflator from a junkyard, according to Honda. The company says it has collected more than 60,000 salvaged Takata airbags as part of a program to keep them out of circulation.

Honda has repeated warned that the type of Takata inflator found in its 2001-2003 model Acura and Honda vehicles could be 50% likely to misfire in a crash and blast metal shards into the passenger compartment. The exploding devices have killed at least 16 people worldwide and injured more than 100 others.

Almost all the incidents have involved Honda vehicles. But more than a dozen other carmakers also are recalling roughly 100 million faulty Takata inflators worldwide.

Car owners can determine whether their vehicle is part of a Takata recall by visiting the government's recall website (www.safercar.gov) and entering their vehicle identification number.