A 12th person has died in the U.S. by an exploding Takata air bag; however, 81-year-old Ramon V. Kuffo of Florida wasn't driving at the time of his death.
According to a report from the New York Times, the victim was using a hammer to repair a parked 2001 Honda Accord at his Miami home when the air bag inflator ruptured and exploded. A medical examiner ruled accidental head trauma as the cause of death in June.
Honda said that it doesn't know what specific repairs were being attempted, and the Associated Press noted that the 2001 Accord has one of the most dangerous type of driver's side inflators. In fact, laboratory test showed they have as high as a 50 percent chance of exploding in the event of a crash.
A Honda spokesperson told the New York Times in an email that the recall was never completed on the vehicle that killed Kuffo.
This latest death brings the worldwide death total from Takata air bags to 17, five of which occurred in Malaysia. Additionally, over 180 people have been injured just in the U.S.
The Takata air bag recall is the largest automotive recall in U.S. history, totaling 69 million inflators and 42 million affected vehicles.
At the end of June, Takata also filed for bankruptcy protection in Japan and the U.S. and said this was the only way to ensure it could carry on supplying replacements for faulty air bag inflators.
