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The truck
operated by a subcontractor was traveling to a Takata plant in
Eagle Pass, Texas, on Aug. 22 when the accident occurred,
causing an explosion which incinerated one home, local media
reported.
A Takata spokesman in Tokyo was unable to confirm the date and
location of the accident, but said the truck was carrying air
bag inflators and propellants containing ammonium nitrate, the
volatile chemical compound linked to the supplier's exploding
air bags, and that the blast killed one woman.
"Takata immediately deployed personnel to the site and has been
working closely with the subcontractor and the appropriate
authorities to investigate this incident," the company said in a
statement.
The spokesman said Takata has a warehouse in Eagle Pass which
stocks inflators manufactured across the U.S.-Mexico border at
its plant in Monclova, which has been confirmed as one of the
sources of its defective air bags.
These air bags have been linked to the deaths of at least 14
people and have sparked the global auto industry's biggest-ever
recall. Prolonged exposure of the inflators to hot conditions
can cause air bags to explode with excessive force, spraying
shrapnel into passenger compartments.
More than 100 million vehicles worldwide have been slated for
recall to replace Takata inflators, which in addition to the
deaths, are linked to more than 150 injuries - mostly in the
United States and involving Honda Motor Co Ltd <7267.T> cars.
Takata is looking for a financial sponsor to help overhaul its
business and carry ballooning costs as it faces potentially
billions of dollars worth of liabilities over the sometimes
deadly defects in its inflators.
(Reporting by Naomi Tajitsu; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
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