In the latest in what appears to be a never-ending string of vehicle recalls tied to the Takata airbag, Honda has just added 1.04 million cars to the list of their vehicles which may be unsafe due to Takata airbags on the passenger side. Perhaps even more unsettling to owners, these vehicles were already recalled to address faulty driver-side airbags.
According to CNN, Honda had previously planned to recall only 350,000 of these vehicles which were known to be in areas with particularly humid weather, which Takata said was a major contributing factor to a rash of fatal airbag explosions. Now, the auto maker is paying to repair passenger side airbags in all years and models equipped with potentially defective Takata airbags after falling under significant pressure from federal regulators.
This recall affects some of the most popular vehicles Honda makes – the 2001-2005 Honda Civic and the 2003-2007 Honda Accord and brings the total number of Honda vehicles included in this recall to roughly 6.5 million, according to Car and Driver. The automotive news authority says that last week the company confirmed a seventh death caused by a Takata airbag in a Honda vehicle. All deaths so far linked to Takata airbags have occurred in Honda vehicles. Honda has been working to address defective Takata airbags since 2008.
The problem behind the Takata airbag recalls lies in the propellant used in the airbag inflators, which may burn off more quickly than expected. This can cause the metal canister designed to contain the propellant to explode and send shards of metal through vehicle cabins.
To date, cars and trucks made by 11 automakers have been included in the Takata airbag recalls, with roughly 34 million vehicles recalled so far in the United States and 7 million more vehicles recalled in other countries. This week, Toyota also announced that an additional 1,364,000 of their sedans and sports utility vehicles will be recalled after at least 24 incidents with Takata airbags have been reported in Toyota vehicles. This will raise the number of Toyota vehicles recalled to more than 2.9 million, says Automotive News.
A number of individuals who have suffered serious injury or the wrongful death of a loved one due to a defective Takata airbag are now pursuing compensation for their expenses, suffering, and damages in personal injury lawsuits. To learn more about Takata airbag lawsuits and whether you may be owed substantial compensation, contact our product liability lawyers today.
