The death of a woman in car crash in September has been linked
to a faulty air bag made by Japanese parts supplier Takata Corp.,
bringing the total reported deaths connected to the faulty part to
eight, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Honda
Motor Co. said Friday.
Seven of those deaths were in the U.S.
Car makers have pledged to replace the air bags, made by
Japanese parts supplier Takata Corp., in nearly 34 million
vehicles, the largest auto recall in U.S. history. The defective
air-bag inflaters can explode, sending shards and shrapnel into the
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 almost 14% of the roughly 250
million vehicles on U.S. roads.
Honda said Jewel Brangman was driving a rented 2001 Honda Civic
on Sept. 7 in Los Angeles. The car, Honda said, was eligible to
have the front air bags replaced under the company's recall, but no
repair was completed.
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. Notifications were again sent in
September, but those notifications began after the Sept. 7 crash,
Honda said.
"The fact that this was a rental vehicle that had not been
remedied is more evidence for why we are seeking authority to
prohibit sale or rental of any vehicle with an open safety recall,"
NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind said.
To check if your vehicle falls under the recall, visit
https://vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/
--Mike Spector contributed to this article.
Write to Maria Armental at maria.armental@wsj.com
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