Victims Of Death Due To Airbag Takata Reported Again In Alabama, Total 28 In The US

Honda Civic 2004. (Doc. Cars.com)

JAKARTA - At the time of Takata Corporation, the Japanese automotive parts company headquartered in Germany had triumphed. However, the company began to have problems in 2013, a series of deaths and injuries related to the damage to the Takata airbag inflator made at their factory in Mexico and has an impact on recalling hundreds of millions of cars worldwide equipped with airbags from Takata. The effect, in June 2017, Takata filed for bankruptcy.

It turns out that the problem of the Takata airbag is still continuing to this day. Launching the Associated Press, September 4, the United States (US) traffic safety regulator (NHTSA) reported another death toll due to the Takata airbag inflator. This is the 28th death that occurred in the US regarding the component.

Meanwhile, for the total worldwide, at least 36 people have died as a result of the Takata inflators that occurred in Malaysia, Australia, and the US.

In a statement, NHTSA said the actual death toll from an accident in Alabama occurred in 2018 using a Honda vehicle. However, further details could not be disclosed due to its complicated investigation. NHTSA stressed that this incident reiterated the importance of vehicle owners to immediately replace airbag inflators affected by the recall.

It is said that Takata uses nitrate amonium to trigger airbag pinning in the event of an accident. Unfortunately, this chemical can worsen over time due to high temperature and humidity, potentially exploding with excessive force. This can cause metal tubes to burst and send sharp metal shards to passenger cabins. More than 400 people in the United States were reportedly injured as a result of this problem.

Honda, as the automaker using the most Takata inflators, stated in a statement that the deaths in Alabama occurred in Etowah County and involved the 2004 Honda Civic. The accident involved high speed, making it difficult to determine the exact cause of death.

"Honda continues to urge owners of Honda and Acura vehicles affected by the Takata airbag recall inflator to immediately make repairs at official dealers," the company said in a statement.