Australian regulator investigating Takata airbag recall after man killed in car crash

Australia’s consumer watchdog said on Monday it was investigating the recall of Takata Corp vehicle airbags, a day after police said a man’s death in a Sydney car crash could be linked to the faulty safety equipment.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said it was seeking information from both the government department responsible for vehicle safety and car manufacturers on what information was being given to consumers about the recall.

Police said over the weekend that the death of the man in Sydney earlier this month may be the 18th death related to faulty airbags by the Japanese auto parts maker. The ACCC referred to another incident in April in which a woman in the Northern Territory suffered severe injuries from her airbag after a crash.

ACCC Chairman Rod Sims noted that the Takata airbags degrade over time and can become lethal by misdeploying and firing metal shards at a car’s occupants.