Nissan Motor Co. said Monday a passenger seat air bag manufactured by Takata Corp. ruptured during a collision last week in Japan, likely causing minor injuries to a woman sitting in that seat — the first case in Japan where someone was wounded by a defective air bag.
In Japan, there have been 13 cases since September 2011 in which Takata air bags have ruptured, though no one was injured, according to the transport ministry.
The vehicle involved in the collision in Shizuoka Prefecture last Wednesday was a Nissan X-Trail sport utility vehicle made in 2006, which was added to the recall list in May amid growing safety concerns over air bags made by Takata.
According to Nissan, the vehicle collided with a truck in front of it and the passenger side air bag exploded abnormally. Metal fragments were spewed from the air bag inflator, and a female passenger sustained injuries to her head and left arm.
In August, the vehicle was brought to the company that had sold it, but the company judged there was no problem with the inflator and replacement of the air bag was delayed due to lack of parts amid a massive recall. Roughly 50 million cars equipped with Takata air bags have been recalled globally.