Takata Airbag Defect Caused Driver's Death in 2022 Crash

SINGAPORE – The driver of a car involved in a chain collision in 2022 was killed when a defective Takata airbag in the steering wheel released a metal fragment that pierced his head, a coroner’s inquiry has found. In findings delivered on Jan 21, State Coroner Adam Nakhoda said Mr Michael Ong Kong Meng’s death was caused by a traumatic injury. He added: “I found that his death was clearly untimely and tragic. I found it all the more tragic as it was caused by the device that was designed to reduce injury and save lives.” Mr Ong, 57, was the first person to be killed in Singapore in a crash involving a defective Takata airbag, which has been linked to more than a dozen deaths worldwide and many more injuries. Takata once supplied airbags for about one in five new cars manufactured by companies such as Ford, Ferrari, Audi and Honda. Around 2013, investigators discovered that defective Takata steering wheel airbags could eject metal fragments during accidents . Airbags manufactured by the Japanese automotive parts company were then subjected to a worldwide recall over the defect that posed a significantly higher risk of injury or death. Mr Ong was in a chain collision involving six cars while driving along the Seletar Expressway at about 8am on Oct 10, 2022. His car, registered in March 2009 and imported and sold by the now-defunct Hong Sin Motors, was the fifth vehicle in the crash. Four vehicles ahead of him managed to slow down and avoid impact, but Mr Ong’s car crashed into the one in front , causin g it to surge forward and hit the third vehicle. The investigation officer of the case, who had given evidence earlier, said that the impact of crashing into the fourth vehicle had caused airbags in Mr Ong’s car to be deployed. The airbags in the other vehicles were not deployed. Said the coroner: “As a result of the impact, the airbag was deployed and, due to the defect on the driver’s side, a round metal fragment was expelled at a considerable speed through his teeth and the roof of his mouth.” Mr Ong suffered extensive injuries and was taken to hospital unconscious. He died later that same morning, and an autopsy found that he had sustained a penetrating injury to his head. Speaking to The Straits Times after the inquiry, Mr Ong’s widow , who wanted to be known only as Mrs Ong, said: “My three sons and I continue to grieve every day. “The pain is compounded by the knowledge that my husband’s death was preventable.” The 58-year-old added: “He was a very loving husband, a caring father and a very good man. Everybody misses him.” The Land Transport Authority (LTA), in a statement in 2016, said it had worked closely with motor dealers and vehicle manufacturers to facilitate the recall of vehicles affected by defective Takata airbags. At the time, it said that about 130,000 airbag inflators involving eight vehicle makes were involved in the recall campaign. In Singapore, the motor dealer or importer is responsible for informing vehicle owners and LTA if the manufacturer finds defects that need to be rectified. According to LTA’s website, the motor dealer or importer must also make arrangements to rectify the affected vehicles. State Coroner Nakhoda added that vehicle owners can do their own checks on the One Motoring website to see if their vehicles are involved in recall notices. The coroner said it was highly unlikely that Mr Ong was aware that his car was part of a recall campaign when he purchased it. This was because the car was originally imported and sold by a parallel importer, and had changed hands before Mr Ong bought it in 2021. Checks by ST showed Hong Sin ceased operations in 2017. Mr Ong’s vehicle was part of a 2015 recall exercise due to the defective Takata airbag. The coroner said there was no rectification work to replace the airbag in the car. Hong Sin had also failed to inform LTA that the car was part of the recall exercise. It was “unknown” if the parallel importer informed the then owner about the recall exercise as well. The coroner noted that if the parallel importer was no longer in business, it was possible that the vehicle owner would not be informed that rectification works were needed. Mrs Ong was concerned that the current vehicle recall system relies on the cooperation of importers. “When importers fail to respond or cease operations, owners are left unaware of the serious safety breaches,” she said. “I have no intention to assign blame, but seek accountability and reform so that no other family has to endure such a preventable loss under similar circumstances.”