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Texas man killed by exploding Takata air bag: autopsy

28 Comments

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28 Comments
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Corporate manslaughter?

9 ( +11 / -2 )

A responsible dealer selling a used car should always check that any recalls have been done.

8 ( +8 / -1 )

The white metal disc was 2¾ inches

5 cm disc that flies out along with the airbag, and only 35 years old. poor guy poor family.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Not sure why the family bought a Japanese car.

Because they are smarter than you. It doesn't matter whether you buy Ford or Honda or Mazda but they come with Takata Air bags because all US car companies use Takata air bags in their cars. Takata Air bags are made in US and Mexico but problem Air bags came from Mexico factory.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Solis bought the car in April from an independent dealer in the Houston area. It was part of 2011 recall to fix a defective driver’s air bag inflator, but neither the dealer nor two previous owners had the recall repairs done. Honda has said it mailed recall notification letters to a previous owner of the Accord starting in 2011, but it had not yet sent a letter to Solis. The company urged anyone with a vehicle recalled for air bag problems to take the cars to dealers as soon as possible. Solis’ family is suing Honda, Takata and the dealer who sold Solis the car.

I wonder if the previous owners notified the subsequent owners that the defect was not fixed.

This very well could have been prevented and I feel so very sorry for the family of this young man who needlessly died!

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Takata airbags can be found in many cars of overseas makers too not just Japanese ones.

American and European models also use them, dealers should check for recalls before putting them on the lot.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

There is an apparentl misconception, for which, car dealers have the responsibilities to ensure the airbags installed in all of the cars at their parking lots to be safe. Such thinking is flawed by any measures. For starters, modem cars are complex machines that assembled in thousands of parts, and any part in the cars can go wrong. Car dealers are lack of resources and technical specialties to guarantee each and every part in the cars to be safe and sound.

Thats not what we are talking about though, is it? Of course they can't check that every single piece of every single car is safe and sound. But this is a VERY well known, widely publicized issue. I have nothing whatsoever to do with the car industry and I know all about it. The dealer certainly should have done.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

What a horrible and most likely AVOIDABLE accident! I hope the Solis family sues the heck out of Takata, and all of those responsible for Mr.Carlos Solis's death. RIP

1 ( +1 / -0 )

This is horrible and while I'm sorry to the family of the man killed I think that the fault now lies with the dealer since the previous owner didn't take the car in for the recall and the dealer would have that info and should have checked the car. This case it's all in the dealer in my opinion.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Solis’ family is suing Honda, Takata and the dealer who sold Solis the car.

The dealer? Certainly. The dealer should have checked the logbook and see that the car had not been serviced by an authorised dealer (an authorised dealer would have known about the defect).

Honda and Takata? No. They issued the recall and did everything in their power to correct the defects. They cannot force car owners to bring their cars in for modifications.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Takata offered condolences to Solis’ family and said it’s committed to working with the U.S. government and automakers to “take all actions needed to promote public safety.

(...except, that is, any action, like a blanket recall, that means we have to impact our shareholder's dividends.)"

The dealer? Certainly. The dealer should have checked the logbook and see that the car had not been serviced by an authorised dealer (an authorised dealer would have known about the defect).

Logbook? I think you're confusing automobile maintenance and repair with aircraft maintenance and repair. My car has no logbook of work performed. The independent dealer has no way of telling whether the components inside the airbag are Takata Killing Devices or something safe. Honda COULD make that information available, but that would cost more money.

Takata: Liable due to manufacturing the deadly device. Honda: Though they did issue a recall, they are still partially liable for not providing an accessible way for dealers to determine which VINs still needed the recall performed. Independent Dealer: The dealer is not going to disassemble the airbags to check whether fatal components are installed.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The Maker has a list of all the cars being recalled, if no recall papers can be shown it should be assumed it had not been recalled. As in case above.

Dealer has 1 options. 1) call the maker to check the list is said car has been recalled and fixed. 2) Sell the car as I'd with the provision that the new owner is informed and will to the recall/repair o. His own.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

As Chop Chop pointed, manufacturing quality control problems in the US & Mexico factories.

This second-hand car, with previous owners who ignored the recall notices, presents a complicated chain of events that muddies the affair. Sad for the guy and his family, but extenuating circumstances makes it more than a little hard on Honda, IMHO.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Harry_Gatto: A responsible dealer selling a used car should always check that any recalls have been done.

jerseyboy: I have a concern here about some of the comments being made, in that this was not a franchised dealer, it was an independent dealer -- basically a used-car lot. Therefore, they would not have received information on all the various recalls of all the manufacturers --

I test-drove a used car from a (Japanese worldwide brand!) franchise dealer's used car lot in Houston in the 90's ... not long after flooding in the interstate had caught some drivers unaware in the underpasses, and the car had dried mud and grass in the engine compartment but my sis-in-law was enamored of it and I wasn't suspicious enough so we took it for a test drive ... it died twice on the highway and once on the way back, and couldn't get it started again so we left it there and walked back several blocks to the lot. Salesman wouldn't give my keys back til I started screaming the results of our test drive at him, in front of the other customers in the lobby.

Anyway, I wouldn't expect too much of car dealers.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I am not convinced that the replacement made by Takata is any safer than the ones being replaced expect that it takes time before the problem shows up. Takata doesn't believe it is a design problem but the issue is that they change the mixture of the explosive to a more powerful one. Obviously they did not do due diligence, Humidity causes the problem according to Takata so they tried to limit the recall until area with less humidity reported the problem. Honda got in trouble for not reporting the problem in the US in a timely manner. If Takata did not change the chemical, most likely this would not be an issue. They also new the problem for years. Not sure how you can call it just an Mexican manufacturing problem since the issue goes back for over a decade. I am sure many car manufactures are looking at not using Takata since manufactures like BMW only use them in two models. Don't forget that passenger air bag, Honda says to turn it off until it can be replace. To replace all recalled cars will take years.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

In addition to what Frungy said those service booklets are important. I there is a recall for your model, you will also papers stating your car has been fixed and should be recorded service booklet.

The recall letter should have your chassis or other info on it.

That is how it works with official dealerships not sure how small private mechanics handle it.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

... Your vehicle should have come with a logbook for recording services, what was done, what was replaced, etc. It is vital for the resale value of your car. It might only be a European thing, but my car in Japan has one, and my mechanic makes an entry into it every time the car is serviced, cross-referenced to the itemised bill.

It may only be a European thing, or it may only be an "everywhere in the world but the U.S." thing, but it does NOT happen in the U.S. I'm on my fifth car owned since I started buying them and the owner's manual log book has been left up to the OWNER to make entries. The mechanics don't touch it.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I think the guidelines for my old Toyota called for replacing the airbag at 10 years.

Also, insurance companies have been marking old cars 'salvage' when their airbags exploded, since replacement cost approaches or exceeds the value of old cars.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

FadamorFeb. 11, 2015 - 01:38AM JST Logbook? I think you're confusing automobile maintenance and repair with aircraft maintenance and repair. My car has no logbook of work performed. The independent dealer has no way of telling whether the components inside the airbag are Takata Killing Devices or something safe. Honda COULD make that information available, but that would cost more money.

... Your vehicle should have come with a logbook for recording services, what was done, what was replaced, etc. It is vital for the resale value of your car. It might only be a European thing, but my car in Japan has one, and my mechanic makes an entry into it every time the car is serviced, cross-referenced to the itemised bill. Even if I lost the bills (which I file with the logbook) someone could contact the mechanic who serviced my car and find out what was done.

If your car is second-hand and you just intend to scrap it later then there's no pressure, but without a logbook a vehicle's resale value is zero.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

"Solis’ family is suing Honda, Takata and the dealer who sold Solis the car."

And so they should! Takata claims to be doing everything they can do promote safety, but have yet to take serious responsibility for creating products that instead KILL people. They need to recall ALL vehicles, world-wide, with Takata airbags, and have them changed.

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

There is an apparentl misconception, for which, car dealers have the responsibilities to ensure the airbags installed in all of the cars at their parking lots to be safe. Such thinking is flawed by any measures. For starters, modem cars are complex machines that assembled in thousands of parts, and any part in the cars can go wrong. Car dealers are lack of resources and technical specialties to guarantee each and every part in the cars to be safe and sound.

Let’s cut the chase here, it’s Takata that made faulty and unsafe airbags. It’s only logical for Takata and Honda to own the responsibility and liability.

BTW, Japan might let TELCO to walk away from its liability, that won’t happen in the US or other countries in terms of Takata’s defects.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Not sure why the family bought a Japanese car.

I lived in Houston for three years. My first task was to research American cars as they have bigger engine capacity, are more rugged, etc. While fuel consumption was not that great, safety during accidents was my first priority as cars can go very fast on highways.

So I bought a Ford Taurus that was second-hand and was of good value. After three years I could still sell it for a reasonable price. Worth every cent.

With all the news of Takata airbags, everyone from car owner to dealer to manufacturer should have made every effort to track down. Perhaps the US government should just banned all Japanese cars with Takata airbags and have the manufacturer provide a solid American made car for free until the issue is fully resolved.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

"Solis’ family is suing Honda, Takata and the dealer who sold Solis the car."

And so they should! Takata claims to be doing everything they can do promote safety, but have yet to take serious responsibility for creating products that instead KILL people. They need to recall ALL vehicles, world-wide, with Takata airbags, and have them changed.

Agree completely. Although Honda appears to have made the required efforts to get the car repaired under the recall, the dealer, who sold the vehicle knowing it had not been repaired, and Takata, which produced knowingly defective bags in the first place, are clearly negligent.

Honda and Takata? No. They issued the recall and did everything in their power to correct the defects. They cannot force car owners to bring their cars in for modifications.

Frungy -- I think you are over-loking the fact that Takata knowingly produced defective bags -- in fact hid evidence of the problem -- for over a decade. As I stated above, I can see the logic of what you say regarding Honda, but IMO, Takata needs to feel the rath of a U.S. jury. Maybe it will teach them a lesson, which even Japanese authorities do not appear willing to teach them -- that you do not willfully put profits ahead of people's lives.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

The dealer certainly should have done.

I have a concern here about some of the comments being made, in that this was not a franchised dealer, it was an independent dealer -- basically a used-car lot. Therefore, they would not have received information on all the various recalls of all the manufacturers -- since they own the vehicles for such a short period of time, the paperwork does not catch-up with the manufacturer's data base of current owners. But, as IT'S ME says, there are maufacturer-sponsored web sites on which to check this kind of information. Again, as IT'S ME says, used car dealers get around this issue by simply selling vehicles "as is" and making the buyer sign an agreement stating it is their responsibility to check on any recalls the vehicle may be subject to. So, legally, the lot is probably protected, but you could certainly argue their moral responsibility.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

FadamorFeb. 12, 2015 - 05:53AM JST It may only be a European thing, or it may only be an "everywhere in the world but the U.S." thing, but it does NOT happen in the U.S. I'm on my fifth car owned since I started buying them and the owner's manual log book has been left up to the OWNER to make entries. The mechanics don't touch it.

Then how does a new buyer know that the car has been serviced? I like the logbook system being done by the mechanic because he's a business man and there are serious consequences to omitting an entry or falsifying an entry (it is fraud).

Also, in cases like this, where a recall is issued and the car might have changed hands a dozen or more times, the new owner can't be expected to know what to do or where to go, or even how to check that the recall had been done. But all authorised dealers would be notified, know to check the logbook before selling the car on, and this accident would never have happened.

The U.S.'s "state by state" approach to legislation really makes it 50 different countries when it comes to doing anything on a mass scale, like a recall.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

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