Teen Driving Honda Civic Dies After Takata Airbag Ruptures

A Texas teen was killed when a Takata airbag in her Honda Civic ruptured and sent metal fragments into her neck. This is the 10th death linked to Takata airbag defects in the U.S., reports Reuters. It is the 11th death worldwide.

The 17-year-old high school senior crashed into the back of another vehicle while driving her 2002 Honda Civic. Then, metal shrapnel exited the airbag and sliced the woman’s neck and carotid artery. The car crash itself only resulted in moderate damage to the Civic, but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

“Everybody should have walked away from this,” said Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Deputy Danny Beckwith, in an interview with Reuters. He also noted the woman was wearing a seat belt and wasn’t speeding during the March 31 crash.

Honda says it sent multiple recall notices to the owner of the vehicle, but the repairs were never conducted. Nine of the 10 U.S. deaths that have been linked to Takata airbags occurred in Honda vehicles. The other death was linked to a Takata airbag in a Ford Ranger.

So far, 14 automakers have recalled 24 million vehicles involving 28 million Takata airbag inflators. Honda has the highest completion rate of any automaker when it comes to replacing recalled Takata airbags. As of last count, the automaker had replaced 54 percent of inflators it had recalled through December.

Meanwhile, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is once again urging automakers to get these numbers up higher. It says it has “demanded that manufacturers work to a 100-percent completion rate, and take all efforts necessary to reach that goal.” The recall effort has already hit the five-year mark.

Source: Reuters

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