Nissan says Takata air bag deployed abnormally in Japan crash

[TOKYO] Nissan Motor Co on Wednesday said an air bag made by Takata Corp installed in one of its cars had deployed abnormally whilst the vehicle was on the road in Japan, the car maker's first such case in the country.

Tens of million of cars carrying Takata-made air bag inflators have been recalled around the world by a range of automakers. Some inflators have exploded with too much force, spraying shrapnel inside vehicles, regulators have found. The defect has been linked to eight deaths so far.

The latest case involved the passenger-side air bag inflator of an X-Trail sports utility vehicle made in August 2001 and recalled in April 2013, a Nissan spokesman said. The inflator was made at a plant in Washington in the United States, he said.

Takata declined to provide immediate comment.

The Nissan spokesman said the passenger-side air bag inflator deployed abnormally, sending high-temperature fragments into the dashboard and breaking the passenger-side window. There was no passenger in the vehicle.

The driver's left cheek was lightly burned, though it is unclear if the injury was caused by the Takata-made component, the spokesman said.

The case is Nissan's first known abnormal deployment of a Takata air bag inflator in Japan. Nissan said there have been nine such confirmed cases involving its cars in the United States.

Shares in Nissan fell as much as 6.8 per cent to 1,188 yen in early afternoon trade on Wednesday after the company announced the accident, the worst performer among domestic automakers.

REUTERS