Takata airbag in deadly Malaysia crash was faulty: Honda

[KUALA LUMPUR] An airbag made by Takata - the Japanese firm at the heart of the auto industry's biggest-ever safety recall - ruptured after a crash in Malaysia which killed the driver, Honda said on Wednesday.

"Honda has confirmed that the Takata single stage driver's airbag inflator ruptured in a crash... in Malaysia" the carmaker said in a statement.

But it added that "no official cause of death has been yet determined" in the crash on Saturday in the southern Malaysian state of Johor.

Honda said the 2009 Honda City was included in a recall notice in July 2015 but records showed the repair was never completed.

In June a similar incident happened in a car crash involving a 2005 Honda City.

Tokyo-based Takata has been hammered by a defect in its airbag inflators linked to at least 15 deaths and scores of injuries worldwide. About 100 million Takata airbags have been recalled.

The defect can send metal and plastic shrapnel from the inflator canister hurtling toward drivers and passengers when an airbag is deployed.

Last Thursday Mitsubishi Motors recalled 47,800 cars in Russia to change their airbags made by Takata.

Honda recalled 147,894 vehicles in Malaysia in June to replace deadly front passenger airbag inflators - part of a global programme which will involve more than 50 million recalls.

Previous deaths in Malaysia were reported in April in Sabah state and in Kedah state in May. They involved Honda City cars.

In 2014 a pregnant Malaysian died when a Takata airbag malfunctioned.

AFP