Honda is investigating a fatality that occurred last month related to a Takata airbag.
Honda is investigating a fatality in Houston that it believes is attributable to Takata’s faulty airbags. It would be the fifth death in the U.S. due to the airbags.
The driver of a 2002 Honda Accord died last month in Houston when the airbag ruptured in a crash, killing the driver.
The airbags, which are currently subject to a recall, can explode when inflating sending shrapnel into the vehicle’s cabin. In addition to the driver-side airbag in this case, passenger-side airbags manufactured by Takata have been recalled as well. In all, 10 automakers have recalled several million airbags.
“Honda is currently in communication with representatives of the family in an effort to further investigate the situation and to address their concerns.”
Honda’s investigation comes as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced a recall of 2.1 million vehicles produced by Fiat Chrysler, Toyota, Honda, and General Motors that have had faulty airbags repaired already. The agency discovered the fix for the airbags may not resolve the problem.
The new recalls cover Acura MDX, Dodge Viper, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Liberty, Honda Odyssey, Pontiac Vibe, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Matrix and Toyota Avalon models made in the early 2000s.
Subject to earlier recalls to address a problem with an electronic component manufactured by TRW that caused some airbags to deploy inadvertently, further investigation revealed the repair may not have solved the problems in first place.
NHTSA has identified about 40 vehicles in which airbags deployed unexpectedly after receiving the original remedy.
(Shake-up at Takata, but supplier still resistant to recall. For more, Click Here.)
The agency claims getting the problem resolved is especially important because about 1 million Toyota and Honda vehicles involved in these new recalls are also subject to a recall related to the aforementioned defective Takata airbags.
(Click Here for details about Takata’s executive in price-fixing scandal.)
NHTSA wants owners covered by the original recall to get it taken care of with the original solution because “that remedy significantly reduces the chance of an airbag deployment that presents a safety risk.”
(To see more about TDB’s first drive in the 2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport, Click Here.)
“This is unfortunately a complicated issue for consumers, who may have to return to their dealer more than once,” said NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind in a statement. “But this is an urgent safety issue, and all consumers with vehicles covered by the previous recalls should have that remedy installed.
“Even though it’s a temporary solution until the new remedy is available, they and their families will be safer if they take the time to learn if their vehicle is covered and follow their manufacturers’ instructions. A hassle is much better than a family tragedy.”