Takata recall: Sydney man was due to replace airbag two days before fatal accident

A Sydney driver was due to have a faulty Takata airbag replaced two days before he was killed in a car accident, a court has heard.

The 58-year-old man, Huy Neng Ngo, died minutes after a “relatively minor collision” in Cabramatta on 13 July 2017 when the airbag activated and flung a piece of metal at his neck, the NSW coroners court was told on Friday.

The court heard the inquest will examine why the airbag wasn’t replaced as originally scheduled on 11 July. The booking was pushed back to a date in October.

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Counsel assisting Tamara Phillips said the Ngo family had deep concerns that they weren’t made fully aware of dangers of the Takata airbag and how faults may materialise before the fatal crash.

Neither Ngo nor his wife, to whom the car was registered, used English as their first language, Phillips said.

“They have expressed interest in why it was they had to wait as long as they did to wait for replacement,” she said.

“Rather than provide protection ... this airbag malfunctioned.”

His death was one month after the Japanese airbag manufacturer filed for bankruptcy amid the largest ever automotive recall.

Phillips told the court the inquest will determine the “real risks posed by Takata airbags” and how the recall has been managed.

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Takata airbags have been reported as linked to 24 deaths and 266 injuries worldwide, according to the Australian website ismyairbagsafe.com.au.

That site allows Australians to type in their vehicle’s details to learn whether its airbags are subject to the recall.

“It is very important that that website gets out,” the deputy state coroner, Harriet Grahame, said.

Lawyers for Honda Australia and Warwick Farm mechanic service Peter Warren Automotive attended Friday’s directions hearing.

A second hearing will be held on 23 November, ahead of a scheduled inquest beginning in 2019.



