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Tragedy in Brasilia! Woman loses her life in brutal accident due to Toyota airbag failure; recall ignored since 2019!

Written by Alisson Ficher
Published 02/10/2024 às 23:46
In Brasília, a social worker dies in an accident with a possible failure in the Toyota airbag, raising questions about vehicle safety.
In Brasília, a social worker dies in an accident with a possible failure in the Toyota airbag, raising questions about vehicle safety.

Tragedy in Brasilia: woman dies in car accident due to airbag part. Toyota faces criticism over safety and pending recall since 2019.

Social worker Marcela Gonçalves Feitosa de Melo, 37, died last Tuesday (01) in a car accident.

According to a information from the g1 portal, a part of your vehicle's airbag may have been the fatal cause of the incident.

According to the aforementioned portal, Marcela ran a Toyota/Etios SD XS, model 2015/2016, when it collided with the rear of a Hyundai HB20, which was stopped at a pedestrian crossing.

The accident occurred around 16:30 pm on a busy road between Sudoeste and Cruzeiro.

According to the Federal District Military Police (PMDF), the car's airbag was activated, and the fuse, responsible for setting off the device, pierced the driver's carotid artery, leading to her death.

The automaker Toyota, in a statement, deeply regretted the incident and reported that the vehicle involved was already under a pending recall campaign since 2019.

“Toyota expresses its solidarity with the victim’s family and regrets what happened. In order for Toyota to provide further information, a technical expert report will be required,” the company highlighted.

Preliminary report and investigations

This Wednesday (2), the Civil Police of the Federal District released a preliminary report that indicated that Marcela's death was caused by the release of a part compatible with the airbag of the vehicle she was driving.

Delegate Victor Dan, from the 3rd DP of Cruzeiro, explained that he is still awaiting the results of other reports from the Criminalistics Institute to confirm the origin of the fragment.

“We have to differentiate the responsibility of the manufacturer and the company. We are analyzing whether the vehicle was inspected and whether this fault was found,” said the delegate.

The PM's initial hypothesis indicated that the piece that hit Marcela could be the fuse, as indicated in the preliminary report.

Marcela was driving a Toyota/Etios SD XS, model 2015/2016, when she collided with the back of a Hyundai HB20, which was stopped at a pedestrian crossing. (Image/ reproduction)
Marcela was driving a Toyota/Etios SD XS, model 2015/2016, when she collided with the back of a Hyundai HB20, which was stopped at a pedestrian crossing. (Image/ reproduction)

The role of Toyota and Takata

Marcela's car model, 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 pleaded guilty to bankruptcy after a series of problems related to these devices, uses a chemical compound called ammonium nitrate to inflate the airbags.

This material, when exposed to heat and moisture, can become highly explosive and corrode metal parts of the equipment.

Toyota stresses the importance of vehicle owners checking whether their cars are involved in recall campaigns.

“We would like to take this opportunity to ask owners to check whether their vehicles are involved in the recall campaign on the website https://www.toyota.com.br/meu-toyota/servicos/recall, through Toyota 24-hour Assistance on 0800 703 0206 or directly with the nearest dealership”, 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 manufacturers between 2001 and 2018.

Our United States, where more than 20 million cars with defective airbags were sold, Takata had to pay a fine of over $1 billion due to these problems.

It is important to highlight that the recall is a free service and there is no expiration date for its completion.

Older cars can be repaired at any time, as long as owners have the chassis number or license plate on hand to verify the need for airbag replacement.

Furthermore, vehicles that do not undergo the recall within one year of the recall 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 opinion, is there a lack of publicity about recalls that need to be made, or is it just drivers who don't care about the campaigns?

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Alisson Ficher

Journalist graduated in 2017 and working in the field since 2015, with six years of experience in print magazines and over 12 thousand online publications. Specialist in politics, jobs, economics, courses, among other topics. If you have any questions, want to report an error or suggest a topic on the topics covered on the site, please contact us by email: alisson.hficher@outlook.com. We do not accept resumes!

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