Malaysian Is 5th Fatality In Takata Air Bag Scandal

SHARON TANG

 NOV. 13, 2014

Honda Motor says a female Malaysian driver was killed by an exploding air bag which deployed with too much force and showered her with metal shrapnel.

The automaker says the woman, who was driving a 2003 Honda City model, died after a crash in July. It did not reveal the identity of the victim.

The air bag was manufactured by struggling Japanese auto parts maker Takata, which has been linked to four previous deaths — all involving Honda cars — in the United States.

The latest fatality spurred Honda to issue a fresh recall of 170,000 cars worldwide.

Takata, which supplies air bags to carmakers including Nissan, BMW and Chrysler, apparently discovered the potentially dangerous defects in 2004, but chose to cover it up instead.

The first air bag recalls were issued only four years later.

Today, some 17 million vehicles have been recalled in relation to the defect.