Truck with Takata Airbag Inflators Explodes

Santa Clara, CAA truck carrying inflators for Takata airbags exploded Monday, killing one woman and injuring four other people. The explosion was reportedly caused when the truck, which was operated by a subcontractor, crashed and caught fire. The truck was also loaded with volatile chemicals.

The explosion occurred in Quemado, a Texas border town about 140 miles from San Antonio. The blast was so intense, it leveled one person’s house, and left debris up to two miles from where the truck crashed, The News Gram reported.

Takata, which is currently facing legal action over its allegedly defective airbags, has sent people to the crash site and is working with authorities there. It has a warehouse in nearby Eagle Pass, Texas, and an air bag inflator factory across the border in Monclova, Mexico. This factory made the faulty inflators that were blamed in several defective Takata airbag-related deaths.

Takata uses ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion that fills air bags in a crash. However, the chemical can deteriorate when exposed to prolonged heat and humidity and burn too fast, resulting in an explosion of the metal canister which sends shrapnel hurling through the air into drivers and passengers. At least 11 people, and probably 14, have died worldwide due to Takata inflator explosions. The deaths have occurred in the United States and Malaysia, where three remain under investigation, the Associated Press reports.

As a result, massive airbag recalls have been announced to address issues involving defective airbags. These recalls affect vehicles equipped with Takata airbags. Airbag failures have allegedly caused situations in which passenger vehicle occupants have either not survived relatively minor driving incidents or have suffered serious, permanent injuries. Lawsuits have been filed against the makers of certain automobiles and airbags, alleging the safety devices failed to work as promised.