The massive Takata (TKTDY) air bag recall has been tied to another death.
This is the eighth U.S. fatality associated with the recall, and the ninth overall. The Wall Street Journal reports that a lawyer approached the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, saying that a minor who got into an accident over the summer died as a result of the exploding air bag.
The individual had been driving a 2001 Honda Accord, one of the first vehicles known to be affected by the recall. The NHTSA told the Journal that it was unaware whether the car’s owner received a recall notice.
The vehicle was originally recalled in 2010. Honda (HMC) told the Journal that it tried to get in touch with the owner several times. The car was sold in 2012, and the company says it attempted to contact the new owner. It sent a notice on July 21, one day before the accident.
Takata said in a statement to the Journal that it’s “working in close collaboration with Honda and NHTSA to determine the facts and circumstances surrounding this tragic situation.”
The NHTSA closed a year-long investigation into the air bag manufacturer in November with a $70 million fine. Just over 25% of the affected driver-side air bags and passenger-side air bags had been replaced as of Dec. 4. Repairs had slowed down due to limited parts availability, but they have picked up as alternative manufacturers begin to provide new air bags.
The recall is now being expanded to a few hundred thousand more vehicles, including Mazda 6, Subaru Legacy and Outback, and Honda CR-V models from the past 10 years.
