A driver narrowly escaped serious injury when a defective Takata airbag exploded during a collision, shooting metal fragments through the vehicle’s roof, in the latest incident involving the recalled safety devices.
The vehicle was among 82,000 cars subject to recall in Cyprus over faulty Takata airbags, mechanical engineer Panos Kestas told Alpha TV.
The incident occurred last week when the passenger-side airbag deployed with unusual force during a crash.
“If the driver had been sitting just a few centimetres forward, we would likely have another victim on Takata’s grim list”, Kestas said. The driver’s taller height, requiring a rear seat position, proved crucial to their survival.
The vehicle was the same make and model as the one driven by Styliani Giorgalli, who was killed in a similar Takata airbag incident.
Kestas explained that humidity causes instability in the ammonium nitrate used as a propellant in the airbag mechanism, increasing explosion risks.
He warned against self-removal of airbags and called for immediate action from authorities.
The incident has renewed concerns about the recall programme’s effectiveness, with many affected vehicles still on Cyprus roads.
The Takata airbag defect, caused by a chemical component that can deteriorate in hot conditions, risks explosive deployment that could project metal fragments into vehicle cabins, potentially causing serious injury to occupants.
It is estimated that at least 27 deaths and hundreds of injuries worldwide have been attributed to the defective Takata airbags.
In Cyprus, at least three deaths have been linked to the faulty Takata airbags. (philenews)
