'Terrible reminder' as faulty Takata airbags linked to first Australian death

A fatal Sydney crash is a "terrible reminder" for Australians to check whether their car contains a faulty Takata airbag which is linked to 18 deaths worldwide, says consumer advocate Choice.

A 58-year-old man was killed in a collision at Cabramatta on July 13 when his Honda CRV slammed into another vehicle at an intersection in Sydney's southwest.

NSW Police on Friday said a faulty airbag was likely to blame after the driver was "struck in the neck by a small fragment".

"Further investigations revealed the vehicle in the incident was subject of a worldwide recall for a faulty airbag," they said in a statement.

There have been several deaths linked to Takata airbags. Photo: AAP

The female passenger, along with the male driver and passenger of the other car, were treated by paramedics in Cabramatta before being taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The dodgy Takata airbags, which can explode and launch metal shards when deployed, have previously been linked to 17 deaths and at least 180 injuries worldwide.

"The tragic news out of New South Wales this evening is a terrible reminder to motorists to check whether their own vehicle is one of those on the recall list," Choice spokesman Tom Godfrey said in a statement.

The Japanese manufacturer has filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States and Japan.

The company faces tens of billions of dollars in costs and liabilities resulting from almost a decade of recalls and lawsuits

Prior to last week's incident, there had not been any fatalities involving Takata airbags in Australia.

Ford wants to petition to avoid a US recall of their vehicles. Photo: AAP

However, in late April a 21-year-old Northern Territory woman suffered serious injuries when one of the faulty airbags didn't deploy properly during a crash in Darwin.

She was struck in the head by a small metal fragment, NT Police said at the time.

"This type of crash, in normal circumstances, would not have caused this level of injury," Sergeant Mark Casey said.

The recall covers approximately 100 million vehicles worldwide and 2.1 million in Australia.

Nearly 20 automakers have been affected by the air bag recalls, and some still use Takata inflators for replacements in the recalls. Automakers including Honda Motor Co (7267.T), Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) and Nissan Motor Co (7201.T) have said they will stop using Takata inflators for new contracts for future models.

Toyota said it was "working closely with all stakeholders, including Takata, other suppliers and relevant agencies, to assess any potential impact and take action accordingly" on the recall issue. Honda, Takata's biggest client, declined to comment.

Nissan have agreed to recall 515,394 of their vehicles. Photo: AAP

Takata is the only global air bag maker to use ammonium nitrate as a propellant in its inflators. The compound's vulnerability to high temperature and moisture can cause airbags to deploy violently, spewing shrapnel inside a vehicle.

Ford Motor Co will petition to avoid a US recall of about 2.5 million vehicles with Takata air-bag inflators, US regulators and the automaker said on Friday.

Separately, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Nissan Motor Co agreed to recall 515,394 2007-2011 Versa cars after Takata declared 2.7 million vehicles to have potentially defective inflators.

Ford spokesman John Cangany said the automaker will file a petition requesting "to continue testing and analyzing our inflators."

The petition will seek an exemption from the recall because Ford believes the issue is inconsequential.

Takata has been contacted for comment.