The deaths of seven people in Malaysia have been linked to the defective air bags
Malaysia's transport minister says the government will take an active role in recalls to replace flawed Takata air bags after data from eight car manufacturers showed that more than 350,000 car owners have not responded.
The deaths of seven people in Malaysia have been linked to the defective air bags. The latest victim was a 23-year old student whose 2004 Honda City crashed May 27 in Kuala Lumpur, the second death this year alone. Transport Minister Anthony Loke says the Road Transport Department will take over from auto manufacturers in sending recall notices to affected car owners. He said today that two reminders will be sent and car owners who still fail to respond will face fines and be barred from renewing their road registrations.
In the latest case, he said a 2-centimeter (0.79-inch) -long shrapnel was found embedded on the left of the victim's neck after his car crashed into a tree. Loke said Honda has sent 28 recall notices to the victim's family but it didn't reach them because they moved and didn't update their address with the Road Transport Department. The last letter was dated May 22, five days before the crash, he said. Pong Yew Loong, the victim's father, told reporters that the family wasn't aware of the recall and didn't receive any letter.
"It is proven that over the last four years, the awareness campaign is not enough, the awareness campaign has not been effective," Loke said. He said he will meet car manufacturers next week to discuss further measures. The latest Malaysian death raised the global death toll linked to the defect to 23. The US, with 16 deaths, is the only other country to have reported such fatalities.
All the deaths in Malaysia involved the Honda City, a subcompact made for Asia and Europe. Families of some Malaysian victims have blamed Honda, the leading foreign brand in the country, of not doing enough to warn car owners of potentially deadly risks from the air bags or track down second-hand car owners.
The defective air bags have faulty inflators and propellant devices that may deploy improperly in an accident, shooting out metal fragments that can kill or injure. Last year, Takata pleaded guilty to fraud in a US court and agreed to pay more than $1 billion in penalties for concealing the defect.
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