His Takara airbag explodes, a young motorist loses his life: he was unaware that his vehicle was recalled

In Reunion, there is a new victim, the third on the island since 2021. A 23-year-old driver lost his life on the night of Saturday November 29 to Sunday November 30, 2025 on the roads of Tamarins.

The Takata airbag in his Seat Ibiza explodes

Following his Seat Ibiza leaving the road, the impact triggered the airbag. The airbag exploded and threw metal fragments instead of protecting the young man. This explosion was the cause of death.

Following the autopsy which took place on Tuesday, December 2 by the medico-legal institute of the Reunion University Hospital, we learned that there was no trace of alcohol or narcotics in the young man’s body which could have explained his death.

The victim’s vehicle was affected by a recall campaign following failures of the Takata airbags according to the investigation by the Saint-Paul and Plateau-Cailloux gendarmerie.

The car changed owners several times and the young man never received warning messages from the manufacturer. Unfortunately, he was unaware of the mortal danger his vehicle posed.

The specialized interregional jurisdiction of Paris, which centralizes investigations into accidents involving Takata airbags, could soon be seized of the case. It has been several years since this fatal defect in Takata airbags was spotted.

Why are Takara airbags dangerous?

The fault is the use of ammonium nitrate, a gas which degrades quickly over time. A deterioration which accelerates in hot and humid environments, which explains all these victims in overseas territories with a tropical climate.

When the mechanism is too damaged, the safety bag sometimes explodes with a violence comparable to that of a grenade, even during a minor collision. In France, around 1.7 million vehicles are currently subject to a so-called recall. “stop drive”.

A procedure which requires owners to stop driving until the defective Takata airbag has been replaced, all free of charge.

Despite the scale of this recall campaign, many affected vehicles are still circulating on French roads. Some drivers are therefore in danger of death without knowing it.