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Another U.S. Death Blamed on Takata Airbag Inflator
Honda Motor Co. and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration blame a fatality in July on an exploding Takata Corp airbag inflator.
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Honda Motor Co. and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration blame a fatality in July on an exploding Takata Corp airbag inflator.
The death in Baton Rouge, La., involved the driver of a 2004 model Honda Civic. The carmaker says the vehicle had been recalled but not repaired. Honda also says the defective inflator was not the original unit installed at the factory.
The fatality is the 13th reported in the U.S. All but one have involved Honda vehicles. At least five other deaths blamed on Takata inflators have been reported elsewhere in the world.
At least 19 vehicle manufacturers have recalled or intend to recall more than 100 million Takata inflators. The devices can deteriorate after long exposure to high temperatures and humidity, then misfire in a crash and spew metal shrapnel into the passenger compartment. Honda says it has recovered more than 100,000 of the affected inflators from scrap yards to prevent them from being reinstalled.
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