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Tragedy in Brasília: Woman Dies in Car Accident Due to Airbag Part. Toyota Faces Criticisms Over Safety and Recall Pending Since 2019.
The social worker Marcela Gonçalves Feitosa de Melo, 37, died last Tuesday (01) in a car accident.
According to information from G1, a part of the airbag in her vehicle may have been the fatal cause of the incident.
As mentioned by the aforementioned portal, Marcela was driving a Toyota/Etios SD XS, model 2015/2016, when she collided with the rear of a Hyundai HB20 that was stopped at a pedestrian crossing.
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The accident occurred around 4:30 PM on a busy road between Sudoeste and Cruzeiro.
According to the Military Police of the Federal District (PMDF), the car’s airbag was deployed, and the detonator, responsible for triggering the device, punctured the carotid artery of the driver, leading to her death.
The automaker Toyota, in a statement, expressed deep regret over the incident and informed that the vehicle involved was already under a recall campaign pending since 2019.
“Toyota expresses its condolences to the victim’s family and regrets the incident. For Toyota to provide more information, a technical examination will be necessary,” the company emphasized.
Preliminary Report and Investigations
On Wednesday (2), the Civil Police of the Federal District released a preliminary report indicating that Marcela’s death was caused by the launch of a part compatible with the airbag of the vehicle she was driving.
Delegate Victor Dan from the 3rd Police Station in Cruzeiro explained that he is still awaiting results from other reports from the Institute of Criminalistics to confirm the origin of the fragment.
“We need to differentiate the responsibility of the automaker and the company. We are analyzing whether the vehicle underwent its revisions and if this failure was identified,” the delegate stated.
The initial hypothesis from the PM indicated that the part that struck Marcela could be the detonator, as indicated in the preliminary report.
The Role of Toyota and Takata
The model of Marcela’s car, the Etios XS 1.5, is one of many that have pending recalls due to problems with airbags manufactured by Takata.
The Japanese company, which declared bankruptcy after a series of issues related to these devices, uses a chemical compound called ammonium nitrate to inflate airbags.
This material, when exposed to heat and moisture, can become highly explosive and corrode metal parts of the equipment.
Toyota emphasizes the importance of vehicle owners checking whether their cars are involved in recall campaigns.
“We take this opportunity to ask owners to check whether their vehicles are included in the recall campaign on the website https://www.toyota.com.br/meu-toyota/servicos/recall, by calling the Toyota 24-hour Assistance at 0800 703 0206 or directly with the nearest dealer,” added the automaker.
The Alarming Scenario in Brazil
Currently, it is estimated that around 2.5 million cars in Brazil are circulating with defective airbags.
These devices were used in vehicles manufactured by 17 automakers between 2001 and 2018.
In the United States, where more than 20 million cars with defective airbags were sold, Takata had to pay a fine of over 1 billion dollars due to these issues.
It is important to highlight that recall is a free service and there is no expiration date for its execution.
Older cars can be repaired at any time, provided that the owners have the chassis number or license plate on hand to check the need for airbag replacement.
In addition, vehicles that do not undergo the recall within a year after the call will not have their licensing authorized.
Marcela’s wake and burial are scheduled for Thursday (3) at the Campo da Esperança Cemetery in Taguatinga. She leaves behind two daughters.
A Tragedy That Demands Attention
This tragic incident raises questions about the responsibility of automakers and the importance of recall campaigns. In your view, is there a lack of publicity about recalls that need to be made, or do drivers simply not care about the campaigns?
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