Woman Injured by Exploding Airbag Inflator Sues Honda, Takata

A woman has filed a lawsuit in Houston, Tex., against Honda Motor Co. and Takata Corp over cuts sustained when the airbag inflator in her Honda car exploded in a low-speed crash. The lawsuit seeks compensation of at least $1 million, Reuters reports.

The news service did not disclose the model involved or say whether it is among about 11 million vehicles Honda has already recalled in the U.S. to replace the failure-prone Takata inflators. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the devices in certain Honda models have a 50:50 chance of exploding in a crash.

Honda and more than a dozen other carmakers are replacing roughly 100 million driver and/or front passenger Takata inflators worldwide. The targeted devices, unlike newer Takata inflators, use an ammonium nitride propellant that lacks a drying agent, which helps prevent deterioration after prolonged exposure to high heat and humidity. Inflators made by other airbag suppliers use a different type of propellant.

Takata inflators have been blamed for 11 fatalities—all but one of them involving a Honda vehicle—in the U.S. At least four more deaths in Takata-equipped Honda cars have been reported in Malaysia this year.