Honda Airbag Recall Expands Again
The recall of vehicles because of defective Takata airbags continues to grow. Late yesterday, Honda Motor Co. announced that it has added an additional 772,000 in the United States to the number of vehicles they have already recalled, bringing the total Honda airbag recall to about 11.4 million vehicles.
The expansion of the recall comes because Honda officials have decided to recall all vehicles equipped with Takata airbags with inflators that don’t contain a dessicant, which is a chemical that is commonly used to absorb moisture. Researchers who have studied the Takata airbag inflators for years blame age, heat and moisture for the ammonium nitrate propellant becoming unstable and causing the inflators to explode in a crash.
Included in this latest recall are the following Honda and Acura vehicles:
- 2005-2006 Acura MDX
- 2005-2012 Acura RL
- 2009-2012 Acura TSX
- 2011-2012 Acura TSX Wagon
- 2010-2012 Acura ZDX
- 2008-2012 Honda Accord
- 2010-2012 Honda Crosstour
- 2006-2011 Honda Civic
- 2005-2011 Honda CR-V
- 2005-2011 Honda Element
- 2012 Honda FCX Clarity
- 2007-2012 Honda Fit
- 2010-2012 Honda Insight
- 2005-2012 Honda Pilot
- 2006-2012 Honda Ridgeline
In addition to the car recalls, this round of recalls includes 2006-2009 and 2012 Honda Gold Wing motorcycles equipped with Takata airbags. They took this action even though no Honda motorcycle airbags have exploded to date, something that can’t be said about Honda cars. In fact, so far most of the injuries and deaths that have occurred have occurred in Honda vehicles, which is why the company is taking the issue so seriously. They are so concerned that the company has sent employees out to knock on the doors of Honda vehicle owners to make sure they get them fixed.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), complaints about Takata airbags date back to at least 2000, but it took until 2008 before Honda became the first automaker to announce a recall. Since then, more than 36 million vehicles have been recalled, with the numbers expanding over the last few years. No major automaker in the world has been able to escape this problem. If you have received a recall notice for Takata airbags, take it seriously and have them repaired s soon as possible. Honda expects the recall notices to start going out at the end of February. If you ignore it, you won’t necessarily know there is a problem unless you’re in a serious accident, at which time a safety feature that is supposed to save your life may actually injure or kill you or someone else.
If you or someone you love have been injured or killed in any sort of auto or truck accident and you believe a defective safety device in a vehicle didn’t work as it should, please contact the knowledgeable and experienced Texas Automobile Defective Safety Device Attorney atthe Hill Law Firm, so that we can investigate and help you protect your rights under the law.