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Australian Takata airbag victim

Posted on 30 April, 2017

Another victim was almost killed by a faulty Takata airbag which had been installed in her Toyota RAV4 SUV. The 21-year-old woman is the first Australian victim and was struck in the head by metal shrapnel during a low-speed crash on Monday last week. A representative from the police says another car turned into the female driver's path on a suburban street, and the woman was not at fault. The airbag was one of about 100 million which are still waiting to be recalled. Takata airbags have already taken 16 lives and many more injuries worldwide. More than 26,000, or 22 per cent of New Zealand owners affected by the Takata airbag recall, have been told their replacement airbag is available. Replacing the faulty inflator will take between two-and-a-half to five hours to install, and is free of charge. Investigations by Toyota into how many second-hand imported vehicles were affected by this latest recall are ongoing. Toyota will contact affected owners once they are identified. Concerned owners can fill out a recall form on the Toyota website for further information.