View Full Version : Woman killed, 4 injured by Takata airbags
https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t4btzklsbgxnth56bxir.jpg
A woman was killed in her home by an explosion Monday morning involving a truckload of airbag detonation triggers which was on its way to a Takata automotive parts plant, according to multiple reports.
According to Conexion Del Rio, 69 year-old Lucila Robles was killed in her home following by the explosion of a truckload of airbag detonators that crashed in front of the house.
http://jalopnik.com/truckload-of-airbag-parts-explodes-en-route-to-takata-p-1785826917
Holy smokes! That's crazy!
Talk about final destination.
Daaaammmnnn!!!
Glad non of my vehicles have airbags.
A before pic:
https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/chacq3fa6hb95ycfj7d3.jpg
I was also reading this tonight: A Cheaper Airbag, and Takata's Road to a Deadly Crisis (http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/a-cheaper-airbag-and-takatas-road-to-a-deadly-crisis/ar-BBw4N5A?li=BBnbfcL)
Around the same time, the team at Autoliv was asked to study the Takata design. Mr. Taylor, the head Autoliv chemist, said his team immediately recognized the risks posed by the ammonium nitrate.
“We tore the Takata airbags apart, analyzed all the fuel, identified all the ingredients,” he said. The takeaway, he said, was that when the airbag was detonated, “the gas is generated so fast, it blows the inflater to bits.”
Mr. Hock, the former member of Mr. Taylor’s team, said he recalled carrying out testing on a mock ammonium nitrate inflater that produced explosive results that left his team shaken. “When we lit it off, it totally destroyed the fixture,” he said. “It turned it into shrapnel.”
The former Autoliv scientists said that they considered their verdict against the ammonium nitrate irrefutable, so much so that they understood Autoliv had alerted other automakers to the danger.
Wow, that does not look good.
Bailey Guns
08-27-2016, 07:40
Son of a ....
According to the article:
The woman was initially reported missing, but the two-day search for her ended when dental pieces found at the scene of the explosion were discovered to be Roberts.
They had to ID her by pieces of her dental profile. That's... instant.
...Wow. This kinda makes me want to rip out the airbags in our vehicles. Right now.
HoneyBadger
08-27-2016, 11:42
A before pic:
https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/chacq3fa6hb95ycfj7d3.jpg
According to the article:
They had to ID her by pieces of her dental profile. That's... instant.
Holy crap.....
Pieces of the exploded truck were reportedly found up to a mile from the blast location, and ten surrounding homes were damaged. The highway was closed for 30 hours to repair the crater damage.
What happened to the driver?
Velocitas, Opprimere,
Violentia Operandi
jerrymrc
08-27-2016, 12:24
This was so "out there" that I thought it was an Onion article.
This was so "out there" that I thought it was an Onion article.
Same here
theGinsue
08-27-2016, 12:49
Ammonium Nitrate.
The catastrophic degree of that explosion doesn't surprise me at all, now knowing that the Takata airbags use ammonium nitrate as their trigger fuel. Many of you may recall another horrific explosion where ammonium nitrate was used as the explosive fuel.
66859
Why anyone at Takata would think it to be a safe propellant for ANY use in automobiles has me completely baffled.
What happened to the driver?
Velocitas, Opprimere,
Violentia Operandi
Per the article, escaped before it exploded but injured.
The truck, hauling a flatbed trailer loaded with airbag cartridges, was traveling from Del Rio to the Takata plant in Eagle Pass, Texas. The driver of the truck, identified as Mario Alberto Rodriguez, 20-years-of-age, was injured along with a passenger. They were able to flee the truck before the blast.
An older couple, traveling in a Toyota SUV, was also injured during the explosion. All four injured victims were transported to a hospital in Eagle Pass, and later airlifted to San Antonio.
Wouldn't it just be easier to read the brief article?
BushMasterBoy
08-27-2016, 13:58
Maybe they got their engineers from VW's emission control department? It also helps to donate to political parties. Sometimes I wonder when I am behind the wheel, if the air bag deploys, will it maim or kill me?
Maybe they got their engineers from VW's emission control department? It also helps to donate to political parties. Sometimes I wonder when I am behind the wheel, if the air bag deploys, will it maim or kill me?
Takata is the maker of the airbags in literally millions of cars that are being recalled right now because they tend to spew out shrapnel instead of life-saving cushions when discharged.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2016/05/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-takata-air-bag-recall/index.htm
I took a hit when I traded my BMW on a Tacoma. Guess, what, both the BMW's and Toyotas have Takata crap in them. Before you get all judgmental, there's a really good chance your vehicle does too!
hurley842002
08-27-2016, 15:50
Before you get all judgmental, there's a really good chance your vehicle does too!
Nope
Per the article, escaped before it exploded but injured.
Wouldn't it just be easier to read the brief article?
I somehow skipped over that part of the article. Thanks for the info. I re-read the article and saw it.
Velocitas, Opprimere,
Violentia Operandi
Here is a link to see if your car has any recalls. It goes by your cars Vehicle Identification Number.
https://vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/vinLookup (https://vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/vinLookup)
THAT WAS A HOUSE!?
And a detached garage.
My trucks don't have any recalls, I feel better now.
Have had the recall notice for my 2004.5 Ram sitting here for a while now.
BushMasterBoy
08-28-2016, 13:18
Yeah I have not heard anything back from GM about my truck. They said there was a recall from a letter. No specifics mentioned.
DenverGP
08-28-2016, 15:26
My son's 2009 Silverado has a recall on it, but in the recall notice, they state that is the 44,000 plus accidents that have happened with GMC trucks containing the recalled airbags, no failures have occurred... My overall impression on the takata airbags is that they had some bad ones, but can't identify or can't prove which batches were and were not affected so the government forced them to recall many more than just the affected ones.
Many instances of failure were related to corrosion, which is much worse in coastal areas, probably not likely in colorado...
My son's 2009 Silverado has a recall on it, but in the recall notice, they state that is the 44,000 plus accidents that have happened with GMC trucks containing the recalled airbags, no failures have occurred... My overall impression on the takata airbags is that they had some bad ones, but can't identify or can't prove which batches were and were not affected so the government forced them to recall many more than just the affected ones.
Many instances of failure were related to corrosion, which is much worse in coastal areas, probably not likely in colorado...
The airbags are affected by temperature swings, which we have in spades, and humidity, that we don't have much of. If any of my vehicles had a Takata airbag under recall, I sure as hell wouldn't trust my life with it.
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