Coroner Confirms Sixth Takata Airbag Fatality

Exploding Takata Corp. airbag inflators have now been positively linked to a fifth fatality in the U.S., bringing the reported total to six worldwide. At least 64 others have been injured by the defective devices.

Carlos Solis was killed in Texas last month when the driver's airbag in his 2002 Honda Accord inflated in a minor crash. An autopsy confirmed his neck was cut by a 2.75-inch metal disk ejected by the inflator mechanism. An autopsy report says the 13-ounce component sliced an artery and a vein before lodging in Solis' neck.

Solis' used car was part of a Honda recall in 2011. But he hasn't received a recall notice, and the independent dealer he got it from did not have the car repaired before selling it.