Officials have confirmed an eighth death linked to faulty Takata air bags.
Advertisement
Jewel Brangman, 26, died from neck and head injuries in September previous year when the driver’s air bag in her rented 2001 Honda Civic inflated with too much force, showering her with metal shrapnel.
“Honda has communicated information collected to date about this crash to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)”, it added.
Seven of those deaths were in the US.
The company said four notifications were mailed to the car’s registered owners under its July 2009 recall, and another under its April 2013 expanded recall.
But the chemical can become unstable when exposed to moisture, burning too quickly and blowing apart a metal canister designed to contain the explosion.
Earlier this month, the company said it would stop using ammonium nitrate in its air bag inflators.
The lawsuit alleges that the defective air bag cut Brangman’s neck and caused a severe brain injury that ultimately killed her. It also accuses Sunset Rental of renting an unreasonably risky vehicle.
Vehicles with the faulty air bags-from Honda sport-utility vehicles to autos produced by Toyota Motor Corp., General Motors Co. and Daimler AG trucks-represent nearly 14% of the roughly 250 million vehicles on US roads. Honda didn’t elaborate on the statement, or identify the rental auto company.
Honda said in a statement that the Civic, with a salvage title, was purchased by the current owners at an auction and rented by Brangman in August of past year.
The recall was made more complex following news that some cars that had already undergone service would need a second air bag replacement.
Advertisement
Honda said it is urging owners of recalled vehicles to get airbag inflators repaired “as soon as possible”. Honda, which has appointed a new president to help it navigate the crisis, is the most heavily affected by the Takata recall.
