|
 Prior to the incident that took place near Houston, Takata air bags
had been linked to at least five deaths.
On Thursday, Honda issued a statement about the fatal crash
involving a 2002 Honda Accord with a Takata air bag but had not yet
confirmed that the inflator had ruptured. A preliminary report from
the medical examiner, however, said the driver died of "blunt force
injuries to the neck."
U.S. safety regulators have said defective Takata air bag inflators
in certain vehicles can rupture and spray metal fragments inside the
vehicle.
"The incident cited involved a vehicle that had been previously
recalled, and we are working in close collaboration with Honda to
determine the facts and circumstances surrounding the vehicle’s
status at the time of the incident," a Takata spokesman said on
Friday.
Honda said on Thursday that the 2002 Accord was included in a 2011
recall, but had not been repaired.
On Friday, a Honda spokesman said that the company had sent
"multiple" recall notices by mail to the former owner of the Accord,
but that the current owner was not notified after he purchased the
car in April 2014.
[to top of second column] |
A top Honda executive last November endorsed a proposal that the new
owner of a used vehicle not be allowed to register the vehicle if
there was an outstanding recall associated with it and the parts
were available for it to be repaired.
(Reporting by Bernie Woodall; Editing by Alan Crosby)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
