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Florida woman says Takata airbag deployment left her paralyzed

A malfunctioning Takata airbag left a Florida woman paralyzed from the neck down following an otherwise minor car accident last year, a lawsuit filed last week alleges. Patricia Mincey says in court documents that, instead of deploying normally, the driver-side airbag in her 2001 Honda Civic deployed with such force that it injured her neck and rendered her a quadriplegic. The lawsuit accuses Takata and Honda of deliberately concealing information about the defect and taking belated action to protect Mincey and other motorists from airbags that may harm them instead of saving their lives. At least five deaths and 139 injuries have been linked to the flawed airbags in Honda vehicles. "There is a systemic failure of these companies to come clean with information they know very early on of problems," Ted Leopold, Mincey's attorney, tells Autoblog. "Instead of doing the right thing, they try to sweep the problems under the rug until there are so many deaths and injuries they're left with no choice. We saw it with General Motors ignition switches, we saw it with the Toyota unintended acceleration cases and now we see it here." Long History Of Takata-Related Recalls Four days after Mincey's accident, Honda recalled her car as part of a 5,394,000-vehicle recall that sought to repair vehicles in which the airbag inflators could rupture. Her accident took place in Jacksonville, Florida, a state in which manufacturers have said high humidity could cause a heightened risk of problems for Takata airbags. She was wearing her seat belt at the time of the crash, according to court documents, and her car was traveling approximately 22 miles per hour. Mincey remains hospitalized in a long-term care and rehabilitation facility near her Florida home, her attorney said. She is seeking compensation in excess of $15,000 for her injuries and punitive damages. Problems with the Takata airbags were discovered as early as 2001, when Isuzu issued the first recall related to high-pressure deployments. But the company continued to manufacture defective airbags, which have subsequently been flagged in dozens of recalls over the past 14 years. Approximately 21 million vehicles have been affected in the United States. Congress conducted hearings on the companies' delayed responses to the safety crisis last year.

Honda Ridgeline spy shots show more truck-like lines

Honda is preparing to roll out its all-new, second-generation Ridgeline. And while we've seen several hints at what it will look like, this is our best look yet. This prototype has dropped all the heavy body cladding and shows its overall shape. As you can see from these latest spy shots, the new Honda Ridgeline will adopt a more conventional form than the model it replaces. So while it still has a bit of a flying buttress behind the C-pillar and above the front of the pickup bed, it looks nowhere near as deep and enveloping one on the outgoing model. The bed also appears to incorporate lighting into its liner. The new Ridgeline still appears to optimize the quad-cab to short-bed ratio proportions. However it looks set to compete more actively in the resurgent midsize pickup market than its segment-defying predecessor. In that regard, Honda aims to more directly take on the likes of the Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, and Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon. What we can't see from these spy shots are details like the lights and grille treatment. However the Baja show truck revealed at SEMA mere weeks ago provided glimpses at those elements. Combine that with the still-camouflaged prototype pictured here, and we're starting to get a pretty solid idea of what the four-door pickup will look like once it reaches production. Related Video:

1959 Cadillac Eldorado and more featured in latest 'Forza Horizon 4' car pack

It's that time again, time for another Forza Horizon 4 car pack. This one is a bit bittersweet, because while there are some great cars, it will also be the last one included with the Car Pass, which covered every downloadable car pack for a discounted price. So either we won't see many additional cars in the coming months, or we'll be paying extra for them. On a brighter note, the cars in this pack are cool, particularly the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible. Threading this aircraft carrier of a car through British streets should be highly entertaining. It's also stylish as all get-out. There are more appropriately sporty cars coming, too, including the 1994 Honda Prelude Si, 1994 Nissan Fairlady Z Version S Twin Turbo and the all-new TVR Griffith. Some reward cars being added come from the role-playing video game Final Fantasy XV. They're the Quartz Regalia Type F and Type D. The Type F is another big luxury convertible in the vein of the Cadillac, and the Type D is the monster truck version. The car pack is available now, and is free to owners of the $29.99 Car Pass. The individual car packs are available for $6.99 separately, and individual cars are even available for $2.99 a piece if you only want specific ones. Related Video: Image Credit: Turn10 Studios / Playground Games Toys/Games Cadillac Honda Nissan forza horizon 4