Fatal Takata Airbag Incident: Honda City Was Part Of Recall, But No Repairs Made

Following a fatal accident involving a 2005 Honda City on Sunday, Honda Malaysia has responded with the following:

“Honda has confirmed that the Takata single stage (SDI) driver’s airbag inflator ruptured in a crash on June 26, 2016 in Malaysia. The crash resulted in the tragic death of the driver. No official cause of death has been yet determined. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the family of the driver during this difficult time.”

“Honda has confirmed during an inspection with the Royal Malaysia Police that the Takata single stage (SDI) driver’s airbag inflator ruptured in the crash of a 2005 Honda City on June 26, 2016 in Selangor state. The vehicle involved in this crash was included in a Malaysian Product Update (recall) announced on May 21, 2015, requiring replacement of the SDI inflator of the Takata driver’s front airbag."

The company also added that prior to the fatal incident, it has made three attempts to contact the owner of the vehicle regarding the recall.

“Since 2015, this vehicle involved in this crash has been included in both driver’s Takata airbag inflator and passenger’s Takata airbag inflator recalls. Three mailed recall notices related to those recalls were sent to the owner. Our records indicate that the recall repair was never completed.”

This is the third fatal incident linked to Takata airbags recorded in Malaysia.

As reported earlier, only small percentage of owners (reportedly at just 30 percent) of affected Honda vehicles have sent in their vehicles for repairs. Honda Malaysia is very concerned about the matter and urged owners to check if their vehicles are affected by visiting Honda Malaysia’s recall notification page.

It is also important to note that while Honda is the biggest user of Takata airbags, the recall is not limited to just Honda vehicles. Toyota, Mitsubishi and Nissan have issued similar recalls. Owners of vehicles from these makes are urged to check with their respective manufacturers to confirm if their vehicles are affected by the recall.