28th U.S. death linked to Takata airbag defect

The 28th death in the U.S. has been blamed on a faulty Takata airbag inflator. While the fatal accident is dominating the headlines now, it actually happened six years ago — another reminder of the ongoing risks these ticking time bombs pose.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revealed that a driver of a 2004 Honda Civic was killed in a 2018 crash in Alabama due to a faulty airbag inflator. This was the 20th Takata-related Honda/Acura death in the U.S. At least 36 people have died worldwide from faulty airbag inflators, and other deaths have been confirmed overseas, including in Malaysia and Australia.

Read: As Takata saga continues, Toyota and GM urge more owners to stop driving cars with airbag problems

Honda said the Civic involved in the 2018 crash in Etowah County was traveling at a high rate of speed, which made it difficult to determine the driver’s cause of death.

The faulty airbag inflators contain ammonium nitrate, which deteriorates over time in high heat and humidity. In a crash, the airbags could deploy with such force that they could rip the metal canisters and send debris into the vehicle. The problem has killed at least 36 people in the U.S. and injured more than 400.

More than 100 million vehicles with potentially exploding Takata air bag inflators have been recalled worldwide over the past decade, including 67 million in the U.S. Honda uses more Takata air bags than any other brand. The Japanese auto brand said it has replaced or repaired more than 95% of the recalled inflators in its vehicles.

“Honda continues to urge owners of Honda and Acura vehicles affected by the Takata air bag recall to take their vehicles to an authorized dealer for repair as soon as possible,” Honda added in a statement.