11th death due to faulty airbags confirmed

DETROIT: A 50-year-old woman who died after a car wreck last month in California is the 11th United States victim of Takata Corp.’s defective airbag inflators.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration confirmed the woman’s death on Thursday but didn’t release her name.

Up to five people also may have been killed by the airbags in Malaysia, bringing the number of deaths globally to as many as 16.

The agency said the woman, identified as Delia Robles, 50, of Corona, was driving a 2001 Honda Civic. Riverside police said a man making a left turn in a Chevrolet pickup truck was hit head-on by the Civic. The woman was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she died from her injuries.

“Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the family of the driver during this difficult time,” Honda said in a statement.

Takata airbags can inflate with too much force, which causes a metal canister to rupture and spew shrapnel into the vehicle. Tokyo-based Takata, unlike other manufacturers, uses the chemical ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion that inflates airbags in a crash.

But the chemical can deteriorate when exposed to prolonged high heat and humidity, and can burn faster than designed. That can blow apart a metal canister designed to contain the explosion.

The problem touched off what is now th e largest auto recall in the US history.

More than 69 million inflators have been recalled in the US and more than 100 million worldwide. Takata faces billions in costs.

Honda said the Civic involved in the California crash had been included in multiple recalls since 2008.

The company said it mailed more than 20 recall notices to the car’s registered owners, but its records indicate the vehicle was never repaired.

Company spokesman Chris Martin said “multiple” notices were sent to the victim’s address, but he did not know if she received them.

She bought the car at the end of last year, he said. AP