This latest safety recall follows one earlier in May when Honda expanded previously announced recalls of 2001-2003 model-year Honda and Acura vehicles because of defective airbag modules.
Honda is recalling its brand new 2012 Civic 2-door and 4-door compact models because a fuel leak can cause fires. The latest quality gaffe from a Japanese automaker once renowned for its quality is caused by a simple o-ring.
Honda dealers will replace the defective fuel line free of charge as is required by U.S. safety regulations.
Toyota of course was ultimately assessed record civil fines by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last year for its failure to promptly recall all of the vehicles affected by deadly unintended acceleration or stuck gas pedal problems and has just received a report by outsiders who said the company was too slow to act on safety matters.
The “Toyota effect” now looms large over the entire auto industry since no automaker wants to be charged with a safety coverup – so recalls are happening quickly often before root causes can be determined.
The Honda safety recall safety recall is expected to begin on or before 27 May. Civic owners can reach Honda at 1-800-999-1009. about recall number R79. Civic owners can also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov.
This latest safety recall follows one earlier in May when Honda expanded previously announced recalls of 2001 through 2003 model-year Honda and Acura vehicles because of defective airbag modules that can kill the driver. This failure is caused by a defect in the airbag’s inflation system that, potentially, can send pieces of metal – essentially shrapnel – into the interior when the airbag explodes. At least one person has been killed by this known defect, others have been injured.
That Honda airbag recall originally started in November 2008 and covered about 285,000 Civic and Accord models. Now it covers 833,000 Honda and Acura Models.
All automakers typically try to limit the number of vehicles covered in recalls or service actions to cut down on expenses and limit damage to their reputations. However, as investigations proceed the population of affected vehicles sometimes expands due to uncertainties around the root cause or inability to identify exactly how many parts are affected.
Increasing commonization of parts across model lines and single sourcing from suppliers contribute to what has become an epidemic of large recalls, as does the web, which allows consumers victimized by automaker cover-ups to fight back and file complaints against them on what were vehicles that, allegedly, are not defective.
In this deadly safety defect case the Honda and Acura airbag inflators are apparently too powerful. When they explode to inflate the airbag, metal shrapnel from the casing is ejected through the airbag itself, possibly “causing an injury or fatality to vehicle occupants,” Honda said in a regulatory filing at the time.
This Honda recall now includes 2001 and 2002 Accord and Civic, 2002 Odyssey; 2002 and 2003 CR-V, some 2002 and 2003 Acura 3.2 TL and 2003 Acura 3.2 CL vehicles – about 833,000 vehicles in total that may require inspection in a search for the defective Takata airbag modules.
Takata, one of the world’ largest makers of airbag components, said in a statement that the parts it supplies to other automakers are made differently and do not suffer from the same problem.
In a statement Honda said that the newly added vehicles were not included in the earlier safety recalls because the driver’s airbag modules originally installed in them were not affected by the potential safety issue.
Honda and Acura owners of all potentially affected vehicles are now being notified because Honda has not been able to determine which specific vehicles received one of the defective Takata parts.
Honda said it is now aware of several incidents related to the earlier recall and expansions, and is announcing this new recall expansion “to encourage all owners of included vehicles to take their vehicle to an authorized dealer as soon as they receive mailed notification from Honda.” Notification to the expanded group of customers will begin in late May 2011.
The registered owners of the affected vehicles will be notified of this safety recall by mail. If an owner is certain that the driver’s airbag in their vehicle has never been replaced, they can inform Honda by signing and returning a postage-paid postcard that will be included with the recall notice. All others are “encouraged” to have their vehicle inspected by an authorized Honda or Acura dealer.
(See also Honda Expands Airbag Recall to 833,000 Honda, Acura Models, Korean U.S. April Sales Surge as Japanese Automakers Lag, 2012 Honda CRV Delayed at Least One Month in U.S. New 2012 Civic Scarce Through September. Both Were Best Sellers, Honda Q4 Profit Drops as Yen and Earthquake Shake Results; Honda Keeps Japan Plants at 50% Capacity until End of June)
