Honda confirms another US death linked to defective Takata air bags

Honda confirmed that another U.S. death has been linked to a defective Takata air bag, The Associated Press reported on Monday.

The incident occurred in June 2016 while a man was using a hammer to conduct repairs on the console of a 2001 Honda Accord.  The car’s ignition was turned on when the air bag ruptured and sprayed metal parts into the vehicle, according to the report, but it’s unclear why the air bag deployed.

{mosads}That makes it the 12th U.S. death — and 17th death worldwide — tied to a faulty Takata air bag, along with dozens of other injuries.

“The rupture most likely contributed to his death,” Honda spokesman Chris Martin told the AP.

The car’s air bag inflators were under recall, but never received necessary repairs. Multiple owners of the vehicle were mailed 12 recall notices over seven years, according to the AP.

Takata’s air bags have led to the largest auto recall in U.S. history because they can explode with too much force and spray shrapnel into the vehicle. But some have criticized the slow pace of progress in completing the repairs.

The 2001 Honda Accord’s defective air bag inflators are among the most dangerous, with a 50 percent chance of blowing apart in a crash, according to the AP.