Metal shard from Takata airbag injures driver in Darwin
The Takata airbag scandal has claimed its first victim in Australia, with a driver in Darwin injured during an otherwise minor car crash.
The ABC has reported the driver was involved in a collision severe enough for the driver’s airbag to deploy. The airbag failed to do so correctly, and a metal shard from the airbag housing struck the driver in the head.
Sergeant Mark Casey from the Northern Territory Police major crash investigation unit said that this level of injury is uncommon in such a minor crash.
“This type of crash, in normal circumstances, would not have caused this level of injury,” Casey told the ABC.
“Investigations have revealed the vehicle was the subject of a worldwide recall for faulty airbag manufacture in 2015.”
To date, Takata’s faulty airbags have been the direct cause of at least 17 deaths and 180 injuries worldwide and appear to be linked to locations where a vehicle in is a humid climate for parts of the year.
The victim of the crash remains in a Darwin hospital and his condition is unknown.
Is your car affected by the Takata airbag recall? Will you continue to drive the car now that an Australian injury instance of the recall has been announced?
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MORE: Find out if your vehicle is affected by the Takata recall