U.S. confirms death linked to faulty Takata airbag in 2002 Honda Accord

WASHINGTON — U.S. vehicle security regulators all over again issued an urgent warning Friday for the general public to check for open up remembers right after confirming another demise connected to a faulty Takata airbag inflator.

NHTSA reported just one human being died in a crash in a 2002 Honda Accord soon after the driver’s aspect airbag inflator ruptured.

In a assertion Friday, American Honda Motor Co. also verified the death, which occurred Feb. 2 in Bowling Inexperienced, Ky.

“The driver of the car or truck sustained injuries from the ruptured inflator and subsequently died. Our ideas and deepest sympathies are with the family of the driver,” the automaker reported.

Honda reported the Accord experienced been less than recall because April 2011 for replacement of the authentic Takata driver’s aspect airbag inflator.

“Honda designed far more than 300 tries to reach the operator of this automobile, who obtained the vehicle in 2008. This involved extra than 40 mailed notices to the registered handle, over 230 cell phone phone calls and more than 40 e mail notifications,” the automaker reported. “Our documents point out that the recall repair service was under no circumstances finished.”

The firm is urging owners of Honda and Acura cars with open up recalls to get their motor vehicles fixed as before long as attainable, noting that more mature types — particularly particular 2001-03 product yr vehicles — have a “heightened possibility of an airbag rupture and pose the biggest protection risk.”

Honda explained it has confirmed 17 fatalities and far more than 200 injuries in the U.S. associated to rupturing Takata driver’s aspect airbag inflators.

Previous month, NHTSA confirmed a demise tied to a Takata airbag inflator in a 2006 Ford Ranger pickup.

The country’s top rated auto safety regulator stated it has verified 23 people today in the U.S. have been killed by faulty Takata airbag inflators. 4 of all those fatalities were being verified this calendar year.

“Regardless of what you’re executing, end now and test to see if your motor vehicle has a Takata airbag remember. If it does, make an appointment to get your free of charge fix as soon as doable,” NHTSA Acting Administrator Ann Carlson reported in a assertion. “If this airbag ruptures in a crash, it could eliminate you or another person you really like, or depart them with vital, life-altering accidents. Just about every day that passes when you will not get a recalled airbag replaced puts you and your family at larger chance of personal injury or demise.”

The Takata airbag remember has been the most significant in worldwide automotive record, affecting much more than 100 million automobiles all over the world.

Some Takata airbags ended up located to explode in the course of an incident, sending shrapnel into the passenger compartment.

The recollects have affected approximately every key automaker, specially Honda. Significant recollects for airbags also were issued by Ford, Normal Motors, Toyota Motor Corp. and Subaru Corp.

Japan-based Takata filed for individual bankruptcy in June 2017. Its assets are now section of Chinese-owned supplier Joyson Security Units.