NHTSA Reports Yet Another Takata Airbag Death
If you’re still driving around with an unresolved Takata airbag recall, it’s time to stop being lazy and get it done. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently reported another death tied to the defective Takata airbag inflators, bringing the total to 28 so far in the United States.
Despite the recent statement, the death actually happened back in 2018, but it doesn’t change the fact that there are still plenty of ticking time bombs on our roads today. The death occurred in a Honda vehicle, and the automaker confirmed that it was a 2004 Civic involved in a high-speed crash, which made it hard to determine the cause of death after the accident.
Honda said it had replaced or accounted for 95 percent of the recalled inflators still in service, saying, “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.”
At least 36 people have died, and 400 suffered injuries because of the airbags worldwide, which can explode in an accident. The inflators use ammonium nitrate to generate a small explosion, which propels the bag out of the housing, but over time, that chemical deteriorates. Heat, moisture, and other conditions can cause the mixture to blow with excessive force, exploding the metal housing and sending shrapnel into the cabin.
[Images: The Toidi, 360b, g0d4ather via Shutterstock]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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