HONDA Motor Co. confirmed late Thursday that a Takata airbag inflator ruptured in a July crash of a Honda Accord and likely led to the death of the young driver, the ninth death in the world linked to the faulty inflators.

    The death, first reported by U.S. auto safety authorities last month, is the eighth in the United States and the first since April tied to the inflators that have been recalled in tens of million of vehicles worldwide.

    After an inspection of vehicle components in cooperation with regulators, Honda said it “confirmed that the Takata driver’s front airbag inflator ruptured” and “injuries related to this airbag inflator rupture likely resulted in the tragic death of the underage driver.”

    The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the death took place in July in a recalled used 2001 Honda Accord coupe near Pittsburgh. The unidentified teen-aged driver was hospitalized after a Takata airbag ruptured and died several days later.

    A NHTSA spokesman declined to comment Thursday.

    Reuters reported that the death involved a 13-year-old boy who was in an early morning crash July 22 after he apparently took the keys without permission from a parent and got behind the wheel, citing sources familiar with the matter.

    Pennsylvania State Police have said a July 22 incident involved a 13-year-old boy driver who was the lone person in a 2001 Honda Accord that went off a road into a wooded area at 4:46 a.m. in western Pennsylvania.

    Honda said the car’s prior owner first got a recall notice in 2010. Honda mailed a new recall notice July 21, one day before the crash, to the new owner.

    In November, Takata agreed to pay a US$70 million fine for safety violations and could face deferred penalties of up to US$130 million under a NHTSA settlement.(SD-Agencies)