A Takata air bag inflator ruptured in a fatal car crash previously this week in Malaysia, Honda Motor stated on Friday, in what seems to be the 23rd death worldwide connected to the faulty part that can emit deadly metal fragments.
The Japanese automaker has earlier confirmed 18 deaths since 2009 connected to the issue that sparked the largest auto industry safety recall in history, involving no less than 100 million inflators among 19 major automakers.
Along with the Honda deaths, Ford Motor has reported two Takata-linked deaths in the United States since 2015. Honda also has reported three other deadly crashes in vehicles equipped with Takata air bag inflators that ruptured, including the new one in Malaysia. No official reason of death has been provided by local officials in the three crashes.
The recent incident took place on Wednesday in a 2004 Honda City vehicle in Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur, Honda stated.
Of the confirmed Honda fatalities, 13 have been in the United States and five in Malaysia. The other three ruptures in fatal crashes outside the United States happened in Australia and Malaysia.
Honda stated the ill-fated 2004 City vehicle in Malaysia had been recalled in 2015, but the needed repairs were never made.
In overall, almost 30 million U.S. vehicles remain unrepaired in the recall. Over 290 injuries worldwide are also associated to Takata inflators that can explode, unleashing metal shrapnel inside cars and trucks. The defect resulted in Takata to file for bankruptcy protection in June last year.
