Photo: Catalin Garmacea
It is unfortunate that sub-standard components can turn safety features into death traps, but that’s the harsh reality of the Takata airbag fiasco. On April 16 and May 1, 2016, two people in Malaysia have crashed their Honda vehicles and died as a result of the shrapnel-shooting airbags manufactured by Takata.
Their untimely and unfortunate deaths bring the global death toll as a result of the faulty inflators to 13. The incidents happened in the Sabah and Kedah states of Malaysia. Local media reports that the driver-side airbag inflator was the culprit in both cases. More worryingly, both vehicles were included in the safety recalls announced by Honda's Malaysian arm.
I find it hard to comprehend what the owners were thinking not taking their cars to get replacement parts, especially if you consider that the recalls for their vehicles were announced on December 8, 2014, and May 21, 2015, respectively.
In a release from Honda, the manufacturer urges owners “affected by the Takata airbag inflator product updates to get their vehicles repaired at authorized dealers as soon as possible.” There are three simple ways for Malaysian Honda owners to get updates on the availability of replacement parts: by Internet at www.honda.com.my, by phone at 1-800-88-2020 (toll-free number), or by visiting an authorized dealer.
These two casualties follow the first Honda-Takata fatality in Malaysia, which dates back to 2014. Back then, a pregnant woman died after a collision with another vehicle set off the airbag, which fired a wide shard of metal into her neck. As with every other Honda vehicle affected by the Takata mess-up, moisture seeping into the inflator’s propellant compound is the main reason the airbags rupture upon deployment.
Just a matter of days ago, Takata Corp. announced that it would recall an additional 35 to 40 million airbags from vehicles sold in North America to replace passenger-side and driver-side inflators. To date, Honda Motor Company and 13 other automakers have been affected by the ongoing problem.
I find it hard to comprehend what the owners were thinking not taking their cars to get replacement parts, especially if you consider that the recalls for their vehicles were announced on December 8, 2014, and May 21, 2015, respectively.
In a release from Honda, the manufacturer urges owners “affected by the Takata airbag inflator product updates to get their vehicles repaired at authorized dealers as soon as possible.” There are three simple ways for Malaysian Honda owners to get updates on the availability of replacement parts: by Internet at www.honda.com.my, by phone at 1-800-88-2020 (toll-free number), or by visiting an authorized dealer.
These two casualties follow the first Honda-Takata fatality in Malaysia, which dates back to 2014. Back then, a pregnant woman died after a collision with another vehicle set off the airbag, which fired a wide shard of metal into her neck. As with every other Honda vehicle affected by the Takata mess-up, moisture seeping into the inflator’s propellant compound is the main reason the airbags rupture upon deployment.
Just a matter of days ago, Takata Corp. announced that it would recall an additional 35 to 40 million airbags from vehicles sold in North America to replace passenger-side and driver-side inflators. To date, Honda Motor Company and 13 other automakers have been affected by the ongoing problem.
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