New death from faulty Takata airbag confirmed

A Texas girl was killed by a defective air bag last month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Wednesday, the tenth known death in the U.S. linked to a malfunctioning Takata airbag.

The 17-year-old was driving a 2002 Honda Civic when she collided with another car and the air bag was activated, according to the NHTSA.

{mosads}Takata air bag inflators can explode with too much force and spray shrapnel into the vehicle. To date, 14 car companies have recalled 24 million automobiles in the U.S., while about 7.5 million faulty airbags have been repaired, according to the NHTSA website.

“Until every vehicle with potentially-lethal Takata airbags is recalled, our roadways will continue to be littered with these automotive IEDs and innocent people will die,” Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said in a joint statement. “Takata has lied to cover up problems with its airbags and NHTSA has aided this malfeasance with an inept and illogical recall process.”

The lawmakers have urged President Obama to recall every vehicle with potentially lethal air bags that use ammonium nitrate as propellant. They called the NHTSA’s recall rate “abysmal” and have pressed the agency to accelerate its progress.

The NHTSA 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.”