Recalled air bag claims life of 17-year-old, bringing death toll to 10

On March 31, 17-year-old Huma Hanif of Richmond, Texas was involved in a vehicle accident authorities say she should have been able to walk away from, reports KTRK.

Instead, she died shortly after the small crash because her Honda Civic was equipped with a defective air bag mechanism.

SEE ALSO: Exclusive: Up to 90 million more Takata air bag inflators may face U.S. recalls

When the feature deployed, a small metal fragment was expelled and struck an artery in Hanif's neck.

According to a witness, she got out of the car, but collapsed quickly after.

The air bag inflator, made by Takata, is known to be faulty, and Hanif's death is the 10th fatality in the U.S. linked to the apparatus.

There is a massive recall effort in effect, but as it involves roughly 20 million cars made by 14 different manufacturers, many question if the conventional means being used to alert those affected are sufficient.