honda-city-2003

A Malaysian woman was killed in a collision in July involving her 2003 Honda City which contained a defective airbag, Honda Motor Co confirmed today. The problematic safety component manufactured by Japanese parts maker Takata Corp has been at the centre of a series of massive recalls worldwide since the issue surfaced in 2008.

The improperly-manufactured front passenger airbag inflator ruptured in the accident, which sent shrapnel flying inside the car, some of which hit the driver. Honda is currently conducting an investigation to find out if the airbag was the cause of the death. If so, this would be at least the fifth such incident, and the first outside the United States.

Honda has also widened its ongoing worldwide recall involving the aforementioned airbag inflator to include another 170,000 units of the Jazz, City and Civic in Asia and Europe, bringing the total number of cars affected by Takata's exploding airbags to 14.3 million, 6.2 million of which are Hondas. At the moment, it is unclear which exact model years are being recalled.

The problem on the latest recall – the 10th announced by Honda so far – has been traced to a conveyor at Takata's now-defunct US plant in LaGrange, Georgia which had malfunctioned, exposing the propellant tablets left on the belt to moisture. Such moisture could cause the explosives to become unstable, detonating with excessive force during a collision.

The 2003 Honda City involved in the latest case had already been recalled by Honda Malaysia over the same issue in June, along with the 2001-2003 Stream, 2002-2003 Jazz and 2003 Accord. Last year, UMW Toyota recalled 18,700 units of the 2000-2003 Camry and Corolla Altis, while Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM) recalled four units of the CBU first-generation Nissan X-Trail.

If you own any of the cars affected, it is imperative to send them in to be repaired as soon as possible, and to stay away from the front passenger seat until the issue has been resolved.