TOKYO (REUTERS) - Honda Motor Co on Friday (June 1) confirmed that a Takata air bag inflator had ruptured in a fatal crash earlier this week in Malaysia in what appears to be the 23rd death worldwide linked to the faulty part that can emit deadly metal fragments.

The Japanese automaker has previously confirmed 18 deaths since 2009 linked to the issue that sparked the largest auto industry recall in history, while Ford Motor Co has reported two Takata inflator deaths.

Three other crashes, including the new one in Malaysia, do not have an official cause of death from local authorities. The latest incident took place May 27 in a 2004 Honda City in the nation's capital Kuala Lumpur, Honda said.