A motorist died after faulty air bag inflators in their 2002 Honda Civic ruptured, Honda confirmed. Its the 17th death in the US caused by a Takata air bag.
The crash occurred in late August in Mesa, Arizona. Air bag inflators on the drivers and passengers side ruptured in the crash, Honda said.
Every car air bag has an inflator, which puffs up the air bag when triggered.
The drivers air bag injured and "subsequently killed" the driver, whom Honda didnt name. The passengers air bag exploded inside the dashboard, which caused a small fire, Honda said.
The 2002 Honda Civic had been under recall since December 2011 for replacement of the drivers air bag inflator, which can explode when deployed, Honda said. The inflator was recalled again in 2014.
The automaker made repeated efforts to contact the cars owner before the air bags ruptured, Honda said. It mailed more than 15 recall notices to registered owners of the car, called them and visited their home address to leave recall information.