LAS VEGAS (AP) — The near-death of a woman in a Nevada crash has exposed a hole in the government's efforts to get potentially dangerous Takata air bag inflators off the road: There's nothing that prevents the devices from being taken from wrecked cars and used to repair other vehicles.
Karina Dorado's trachea was punctured by shrapnel from an inflator after a relatively minor crash in Las Vegas on March 3. She was rushed to a trauma center, where surgeons removed shrapnel from her neck that damaged her vocal cords.
Dorado is one of more than 180 people injured or killed by the inflators, which can explode when a chemical propellant inside degrades. Hers is another case that illustrates how used car buyers can unknowingly be placed in danger from Takata air bags.