8th US death due to Takata air bag explosion confirmed

Washington - A teen driver who died a few days after a July
car crash near Pittsburgh has been confirmed as the eighth
death in the U.S. due to an explosive air bag made by auto
parts maker Takata, federal transportation officials said
Wednesday.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration officials
also announced a significant expansion of the U.S. vehicles
with Takata airbags that are being recalled, and the
appointment of an independent monitor to see the company's
compliance with a government consent order on the recalls.
NHTSA learned of the latest death last week after a lawyer for
the teen's family contacted the agency, NHTSA spokesman
Gordon Trowbridge told reporters in a conference call. The car
involved was a used Honda Accord owned by a relative of the
teen, he said. He didn't identify the teenage or provide other
details of crash.
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The death makes the 9th death worldwide attributed to faulty
Takata airbag's. Takata inflators can explode with too much
force, sending shrapnel into drivers and passengers.
In the U.S., about 23 million Takata air bag inflators have been
recalled on 19 million vehicles sold by 12 auto and truck
makers.
Former Justice Department official John Buretta has been
selected to serve as an independent monitor to oversee
Takata's compliance with an air bag recall agreement with the
government, NHTSA said.
The pace of repairs of vehicles with faulty inflators has picked
up significantly, Trowbridge said. As of Dec. 4, more than 27
percent of recalled driver's side airbag's and nearly 26 percent
of recalled passenger side air bags had been repaired, he said.
At the same time, the department is expanding its list of
vehicles to be recalled.
"We have a great big problem here and it's going to take a long
time to get it fixed," Trowbridge said.
- AP