US agency warns car owners to get air bags fixed - azcentral.com
The inflator mechanisms in the air bags can rupture, causing metal fragments to fly out when the bags are deployed in crashes. Multiple automakers have recalled vehicles in the U. S. over the past two years to repair air-bag inflators made by Takata Corp. The agency has been investigating the problem since June and has cited reports of six inflators rupturing, causing three injuries. Worldwide, automakers have recalled about 12. The warning covers cars made by Toyota, Honda, Mazda, BMW, Nissan, General Motors and Ford. In that crash, Hien Thi Tran suffered severe neck wounds that could have been caused by metal fragments flying out of the air bag on her 2001 Honda Accord. One police agency concluded that the air bags caused her wounds, while another is still investigating. Toyota on Monday issued a recall covering passenger air bags in 247,000 older model vehicles, including the Lexus SC, Corolla, Matrix, Sequoia and Tundra. Like many earlier recalls, Toyota's covers vehicles in South Florida, along the Gulf Coast, in Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the U. S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Saipan and American Samoa — all areas that have high absolute humidity. Toyota said it's working with Takata to pinpoint the. Source: www.azcentral.com
