Takata Air Bag Deaths Rise to at Least 17 After California Crash
- Civic driver died Sept. 30 after inflator rupture, Honda says
- Defect may lead to recalls of more than 100 million air bags
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Honda Motor Co. said a Takata Corp. air bag inflator ruptured in a Civic compact car on Sept. 30 and killed a driver in California, at least the 17th Takata-related fatality in the U.S., Malaysia and India.
The driver was a 50-year-old woman in Riverside County, according to a statement from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Almost all Takata-related deaths have occurred in Honda-built vehicles with air bags that can rupture and spray shards at vehicle occupants, a flaw that may prompt recalls of more than 100 million of the devices globally.