By David Shepardson and Bernie Woodall
WASHINGTON/DETROIT (Reuters) - A 17-year-old driver of a recalled 2002 Honda Civic was killed last month after a Takata Corp air bag ruptured during a rear-end crash, Honda Motor Co and U.S. regulators said on Wednesday, the 10th U.S. death linked to a defect that has prompted recalls of tens of millions of vehicles worldwide.
Huma Hanif was killed on March 31 in Fort Bend County, Texas. Honda said the owner had been mailed multiple recall notices about the five-year-old recall effort, but repairs were never made.
The victim, a high school senior from Richmond, Texas, ran into the back of a Honda CR-V that was waiting for traffic to clear to make a left turn, said Fort Bend County Sheriff's Deputy Danny Beckwith. The driver was not excessively speeding and was wearing her seat belt, he said, saying the crash resulted in moderate damage to her car.
"Everybody should have walked away from this," Beckwith said in an interview. He said shrapnel punctured the air bag and sliced the young woman's neck and carotid artery. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The brother of Hanif says his family never received a recall notice from Honda.
Honda spokesman Jeffrey Smith said the automaker has more than doubled the size of its customer relations team working on this issue.
"This is a very motivated, dedicated and engaged group, working seven days a week to help customers get their vehicles repaired," Smith said.
He said Honda has sent more than 9.9 million mailers, 11.9 million postcards, 4.5 million emails, 12.8 million direct and automated phone calls and used targeted advertising, social media and other efforts.
Overall, 10 people have died in the United States in accidents linked to exploding Takata air bags. Nine of those U.S. deaths have occurred in Honda vehicles, Honda said. Ford Motor Co has reported a death from a Takata air bag rupture in one of its vehicles in the United States.
A pregnant woman was killed in Malaysia in July 2014 after the rupture of a Takata air bag in a 2003 Honda City.
Senator Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, said in a statement the latest death "shows that the current recall efforts are just not getting the job done. Takata and the automakers have to step up their efforts to locate, notify and fix every impacted car as soon as possible - before anyone else dies."
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a statement it "has demanded that manufacturers work to a 100 percent completion rate, and take all efforts necessary to reach that goal."
The agency said it "is renewing its call to all auto manufacturers involved in the Takata air bag recall to intensify and expand their outreach to affected vehicle owners."
To date, 14 automakers have recalled about 24 million vehicles involving about 28 million Takata air bag inflators, , which can explode with excessive force and spray metal shrapnel into vehicle passenger compartments. They have been linked to more than 100 U.S. injuries.
In late December, NHTSA named John Buretta, a former official in the Justice Department's criminal division, to serve as independent monitor overseeing the Takata recalls.
Last month, NHTSA said automakers have replaced more than 7.5 million defective Takata inflators, or about a third of those recalled through December. Honda has replaced about 5.4 million inflators, or 54 percent of vehicles it had recalled through December, the highest completion rate of any automaker.
Honda said it has enough replacement inflators to complete repairs under the open recall of the 2002 Civic, "and we continue to encourage all owners of affected vehicles to seek repair immediately."
Honda said it does not have replacements for a driver air bag inflator recall announced in February, but it expects to begin receiving replacement inflators for that recall within a few days.
(Reporting by David Shepardson, editing by G Crosse and David Gregorio)
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.