Airbag Rupture In Honda City Possibly Led To Death Of Malaysian Woman, Officials Say

A Malaysian woman died after the airbag in her Honda City ruptured in a minor collision over the weekend, a safety official said Monday.

The 44-year-old woman was found in the driver seat with injuries to her chest from an item protruding from the center of the steering wheel, and the driver’s front airbag was found ruptured, local daily the Star reported.

Three other passengers in the Honda and two in a Mercedes, which the Honda bumped into, were all reportedly unhurt.

According to the Associated Press, fire and rescue official Rosdi Hainan said the woman died a short time later.

“We are still waiting for the official report from the post-mortem,” Mohd. Zani Che Din, assistant police commissioner of the Petaling Jaya district, told Reuters.

Sunday’s incident comes days after Honda Motor Co. Ltd. recalled 147,894 vehicles in Malaysia to replace front passenger airbag inflators, as part of a global recall involving supplier Takata Corp.’s faulty airbags. The recall included the City, Accord and Civic models.

Excessive internal pressure in defective airbags can cause metal inflators to burst. There have been instances of shrapnel from within the inflator puncturing the airbag and causing injury or death. The defect has been linked to more than 100 injuries and at least 13 deaths worldwide, two of which were reported in Malaysia.

Honda Malaysia spokesman Jordhat Johan said the company was investigating the case and could not provide any further details, according to Reuters.