16th US Death Confirmed in Takata Air Bag Rupture

March 30, 2019

New York- Honda Motor Co. said Friday it has confirmed the 16th death in the United States linked to a defective air bag made by Japanese manufacturer Takata Corp.

The death of the driver of a 2002 Honda Civic in a crash in Buckeye, Arizona, in June last year was attributed to an abnormal rupture of a Takata driver's air bag inflator, the Japanese automaker said.

Of the 16 victims, 14 were linked to Honda vehicles.

According to Honda, the Civic had been under recall since December 2014 for the replacement of the air bag inflator. Despite recall notices to prior registered owners of the vehicle, the recall repair was never completed.

The driver killed in the crash purchased the Civic less than three months before the accident. Jiji Press