The brother of the Texas teen who died from a defective Takata airbag said he and his family never receive a notice to recall the car with the defective safety feature. However, his statement contradicts the automakers.
According to Reuters, Faizan Hanif told the federal authorities car manufacturer did not informed them to recall the their 2002 Honda Civic, the car which 17 year old, Huma Hanif, was driving during the incident. But Honda says it mailed multiple notices to the car's owners, including the current registered owner since 2011.
The teen from Richmond, who was driving the 2002 Honda Civic in Fort Bend County, Texas, died when her car rear-ended another vehicle and triggered the front airbag to deploy. The March 31, 2016, accident was described by local investigators as minor however Hanif died at the scene after a piece of the metal airbag inflator hit her artery.
Honda also stated, since the year 2011, the car has been recalled numerous times however, the defective safety feature was not fixed, New York Times reported. The family of the victim, who owned the car for about five years, told the local investigators that no such notice was sent to them.
The car manufacturer issued their official statement confirming the Takata airbag-related death in Texas. Takata also stated, they were "deeply sorry for all fatalities and injuries that have occurred in any case."
Hanif's death recorded to be the tenth death over faulty inflators in the air bags in the United States, according Car Complaints.com. Automakers have repaired or replaced about a quarter of the estimated 28 million defective Takata air bags recalled, according to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
A Honda spokesman said on Wednesday, the automakers continues and has more than doubled their efforts urging the owners to respond to requests to get recalled cars. The auto company now used a massive and expensive advertising campaigns for recalls.
