One year after his death, Honda says that a Florida man was killed by a defective Takata airbag. What makes this tragedy different from the other deaths attributed to these airbags is that the victim was not even driving the vehicle at the time.
According to a statement issued by Honda, in June 2016, the man was attempting to repair a 2001 Honda and was using a hammer on the vehicle. It is not known what he was trying to repair, but Honda said the ignition was in the on position at the time of the incident. The hammering caused the defective airbag to inflate and then explode, spraying pieces of shrapnel at the victim. He died the next day.
The Florida man is now the twelfth victim in the United States, and the seventeenth death worldwide, that has been linked to these deadly airbags. There have been more than 700 million airbags recalled, affecting more than 42 million vehicles. The recalls began in 2008 and are still being issued – the latest recall was in July with almost 3 million additional airbags recalled.
In 2008, Taketa began installing ammonium nitrate as a propellant in the airbags, but ammonium nitrate is a dangerous compound. When it is exposed to temperature fluctuations and moisture, the compound eventually degrades and causes the bags to explode. Takata has tried different chemical agents in an attempt to keep the airbag propellants dry, but nothing they have attempted over the years has actually worked. Instead, more airbag recalls are issued and more victims are seriously injured or killed from the metal shrapnel that sprays out during the explosions.
In a discussion about the latest recall and fatality, Attorney Darryl Kogan took the opportunity to remind people that they should check the safercar.gov website to make sure their vehicle is not listed in the one of the millions of recalled makes and models. “There have been 19 different vehicle manufacturers affected by these recalls, so it is critical for people to make sure their vehicle is not on that list and if it is on the list, they get the necessary repairs done before another tragedy happens.”
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