An Australian has died following an airbag malfunction in a "relatively minor collision."
Huy Neng Ngo, 58, was killed by a flying piece of shrapnel launched at his neck from a faulty airbag. The crash occurred on July 13, 2017, and was discussed at the New South Wales' Coroner's Court on Friday, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
It was revealed in court that the faulty airbag, made by now-bankrupt company Takata, was scheduled for replacement just two days before the crash (July 11). The booking was pushed back to October. Ngo and his wife were both in the car at the time of the crash. Neither's English is that strong and now the family are questioning why the airbag risk wasn't made more clear to them.
The counsel assisting the coroner, Tamara Phillips, said they should not have waited so long for a replacement. "Rather than provide protection… this airbag malfunctioned," Phillips said in court, according to news.com.au. "[The family] have expressed interest in why it was they had to wait as long as they did to wait for a replacement."
Deputy State coroner Harriet Grahame is now calling on Australians to visit ismyairbagsafe.com.au to check their own car. Takata has been linked to 24 deaths and more than 250 injuries worldwide. The company declared bankruptcy in June 2017 because it owed more in compensation than the company had funds.
A follow-up hearing will be held on November 23 before a full inquest is launched in early 2019.
About 46 million Takata airbag parts in cars made by 19 manufacturers have been recalled for chemical defects that can cause them to explode and send shrapnel flying. To check your car (in the U.S.), visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website.
Some automakers have been trying to contact customers with the dangerous airbags, putting ads on social media and even sending representatives door-to-door to alert people to the defects, but ' outreach is taking a long time. The administration said in a statement that getting people to respond to such efforts can also be challenging because it depends on how urgent drivers think the fix will be and how easy it is to get.
According to Consumer Reports in November 2017, the companies with the highest recall completion rates include Tesla, Honda and Subaru; the ones with the lowest include Mercedes Benz, Mazda and Fiat Chrysler.
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