Honda Motor stated another individual has been killed by an exploding Takata air bag inflator.
The company stated the person passed away when a 2004 Honda Civic crashed July 10 in Baton Rouge, La. Officials from Honda and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) checked the automobile Tuesday and confirmed that the inflator blew apart and the person died.
The person’s name and age were not revealed. It is the 20th death globally because of the inflators, which can explode with excessive force and send out shrapnel into the cabin.
Honda stated that the car’s air bag apparently was salvaged from another car, a 2002 Civic.
The automaker stated it is working with the government as it investigates the issue.
It’s completely legal under federal law for air bag assemblies or other parts subject to recall to be taken out of damageded cars and sold by junkyards to service center that may not even know the threat. No government firm keeps track of the transactions.
Unlike a lot of the otehr air bag makers, Takata utilized the chemical ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion to inflate the bags in a collision. But the chemical deteriorates over time when exposed to heat and humidity, resulting it to burn too fast and blow apart a metal canister. The resulting shrapnel can kill or harm people. Over 180 individuals have been injured in this manner in the United States alone.
The issue touched off the largest automotive recall in U.S. history, concerning approximately 69 million inflators and 42 million vehicles. Honda was Takata’s biggest client before the problems appeared. In June, Takata filed for bankruptcy protection in both Japan and the United States, and competing Key Safety Systems bought most of its assets.
