Honda confirms Takata death

Honda has confirmed an 11th death in the US involving a faulty Takata airbag inflator. This now means at least 17 deaths and 180 injuries worldwide are now tied to the defect. Vehicles manufactured by Honda have been responsible for all but one of the deaths. The car maker said the incident occurred in Florida in June 2016, when an individual was repairing a 2001 Honda Accord and the airbag ruptured. The victim died a day after sustaining injuries when the airbag spontaneously deployed. The Honda Accord was one of over 300,000 vehicles still on US roads that were yet to receive repairs. Honda said the vehicle’s registered owners had received at least 12 recall notices, but never brought the vehicle in for repairs, Reuters reports. Takata filed for bankruptcy last month, and the chief operating officer of the supplier’s US unit, Scott Caudill, said the company faces “insurmountable claims” relating to the recalls. Caudill said that Takata has recalled, or expects to recall, 125 million vehicles worldwide by 2019. In New Zealand, over 110,000 affected vehicles have been identified, which includes both new and used cars. As of March this year, just 22 per cent of owners have been told a replacement is available.