New Takata airbag passenger death becomes 38th fatality worldwide linked to ‘ticking time bombs’

The owner of a Dodge Ram 1500 pick-up driver is the first passenger to be killed by a defective Takata airbag in the US – marking the 26th fatality caused by the defective device in the country, and the 38th worldwide since 2009, according to a new report.

According to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the 2003 Dodge Ram 1500's owner – who was sitting in the vehicle's passenger seat at the time – was killed in May 2023 after the pick-up’s defective Takata airbag inflator ruptured during a crash, resulting in fatal injuries.

As of December 2022, there were 36 deaths attributed to defective Takata airbag inflators globally, with 24 fatalities in the US. NHTSA claims the latest incident marks the 26th death in the US – and the first for a passenger in the country – which pushes the estimated global tally up to 38.

In a media statement issued to Automotive News, Stellantis – the parent company of Dodge and Ram – said the owner of the pick-up had received at least six recall notices to their home address, though "all went unheeded".

In 2013, car-makers around the world discovered certain airbags manufactured by now-defunct Japanese company Takata could degrade over time, causing the airbag to blast metal shrapnel from its inflator when deployed in a crash.

It is estimated 100 million cars from more than two dozen automotive brands originally fitted with certain Takata airbags have been recalled and replaced globally since 2013.

Despite the best efforts of regulators and car companies, some affected vehicles are still on the road with potentially fatal airbags because owners either refused to take their car in for repairs or ignored the recall notices.

In a media statement, NHTSA said a recall for 385,686 Dodge Ram 1500s was issued in 2015, though its status has now been upgraded to ‘Do Not Drive’ – urging owners to immediately have their pick-ups fixed.

While the road safety regulator believes there are approximately 84,000 examples of the pick-up yet to receive the life-saving fix, Dodge’s parent company – Stellantis – estimates there are only about 29,000 examples still on US roads.

It is worth noting the 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 recall does not affect Australian motorists as the pick-up was never officially sold locally.

Ram Trucks – now a standalone brand – have been officially sold in Australia since 2015, a number of years after Takata’s airbag inflator defect was discovered.

Worldwide, an estimated 36 deaths and 350 serious injuries have occurred as a result of injuries from faulty Takata airbags, including at least two people in Australia – with the fatal incidents occurring locally in 2017 and 2019.

In March 2021, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced more than 4.1 million faulty Takata airbags in 3.06 million cars had been replaced, representing ‘99.9 per cent’ of local cars originally equipped with the deadly devices.

In November 2022, the consumer watchdog told Drive this figure had reached 100 per cent –  although its data includes cars which have not had their airbags replaced, but the vehicles have been reported as written-off or scrapped.

In its data, the ACCC also includes cars which have been scrapped, stolen or unregistered for more than two years – or owned by uncontactable motorists. To check if your car was originally fitted with a faulty Takata airbag, click here.