Another death has been linked to dangerous Takata airbag inflators by US regulators, the 28th in the United States. The driver was killed in 2018 in Alabama in a Honda vehicle, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said, without further details, per the AP. The agency says the death underscores the need for people to replace recalled air-bag inflators. Takata used ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion to inflate airbags in a crash. But the chemical can deteriorate over time due to high heat and humidity and explode with too much force, which can blow apart a metal canister and send shrapnel into the passenger compartment. More than 400 people in the US have been hurt.
Worldwide at least 36 people have been killed by Takata inflators in Malaysia, Australia, and the US. Honda said that the Alabama death involved a 2004 Honda Civic. The high-speed crash complicated efforts to definitively determine the cause of death. Honda, the company that used more Takata airbags in its cars than any other automaker, said it has replaced or accounted for 95% of the recalled inflators in its vehicles. "Honda continues to urge owners of Honda and Acura vehicles affected by the Takata airbag inflator recalls to get their vehicles repaired at an authorized dealership as soon as possible," the company said.
Honda and Acura owners can check for recalls at www.recalls.honda.com and www.recalls.acura.com. Owners also can go to nhtsa.gov/recalls and key in their vehicle identification or license plate numbers. Potential for a dangerous malfunction led to the largest series of auto recalls in US history, with at least 67 million Takata inflators involved. The US government says many haven't been repaired. About 100 million inflators have been recalled worldwide. (More Takata stories.)
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