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The
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it
had concluded a Takata air bag inflator rupture during a
September crash in Arizona had led to fatal injuries of the
driver.
This was the first reported Takata death in a BMW vehicle after
15 U.S. deaths in those of Honda Motor Co and two in Ford Motor
Co vehicles since 2009.
BMW said its "engineers will work closely with federal
investigators to inspect the vehicle and to understand the
details of the incident."
The German automaker added it had "been working diligently to
identify and contact owners of these older vehicles equipped
with recalled Takata airbags."
The defect, which leads in rare instances to air bag inflators
rupturing and sending metal fragments flying, prompted the
largest automotive recall in U.S. history of about 63 million
inflators. Worldwide, about 100 million inflators by 19 major
automakers were recalled.
More than 290 U.S. injuries are also tied to faulty Takata
inflators and at least 27 deaths worldwide. The issues
especially affects older vehicles with long-term exposure to
hot, humid conditions. A number of the deaths have occurred in
Arizona.
Millions of unrepaired air bags remain in cars on U.S. roads.
NHTSA said in a statement Thursday the "incident underscores the
importance of replacing every recalled Takata air bag. When
notified of a safety defect, we urge vehicle owners to
immediately contact their automaker’s local dealer to schedule a
free repair."
(Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Jonathan Oatis and
Richard Chang)
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