A Darwin driver has been seriously injured by a malfunctioning airbag.

Takata airbags are the subject of a worldwide recall, having been attributed to at least 17 deaths and more than 180 injuries worldwide.

On Monday, a 21-year-old NT woman was struck in the head by a piece of metal after her airbag failed to deploy properly during a low-speed crash.

“This type of crash, in normal circumstances, would not have caused this level of injury,” said Sergeant Mark Casey from the NT Police Major Crash Investigation Unit.

“Investigations have revealed the vehicle was the subject of a worldwide recall for faulty airbag manufacture in 2015.”

The victim remains in Royal Darwin Hospital in a serious condition.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has published a list showing Takata has supplied air bags for Toyota, Honda, Ford, Nissan, BMW, Volkswagen and Daimler among many others.

“The recall involved approximately 100 million vehicles around the world, including 2.1 million vehicles in Australia,” Sergeant Casey said.

“Prior to this crash there were no reported deaths or injuries in Australia in relation to this fault.

“If they own one of the vehicles mentioned and have not received or acted on the recall notice to please do so as soon as possible,” Sergeant Casey said.

Takata airbags have been linked to a litany of deaths, including the near decapitation of American man Carlos Solis, who had a chunk of metal fly into his neck after a minor bingle in his 2002 Honda Accord.

Additionally, Florida driver Corey Burdick lost an eye following a crash a 24km/h.

Japanese firm Takata was fined $1.3 billion in February for deliberately hiding evidence that its airbag inflators were liable to explode, leading to the biggest recall in automotive history.

Takata’s ammonium nitrate airbag inflators are susceptible to moisture damage that can trigger uncontrolled explosions, turning dashboard trim into lethal shrapnel.

However, Australian dealerships say they are already out of replacement parts, leading to predictions it could take years to complete the recall.