Honda Motor Co. has announced that it will add an additional 437,000 vehicles to an ongoing recall for faulty air bags in certain 2001 and 2002 models of the Accord, Civic, Odyssey, and CR-V, as well as some 2002 Acura TL sedans. The recall was first announced in November 2008 as more than 500,000 vehicles were involved. The latest addition brings the recall total to almost 1 million vehicles.
The cause of the recall is increased pressure in airbag deployment, which causes the airbag to rupture upon impact, which can cause additional injury – including death – to the driver. The company is aware of at least 12 reports of injury caused by the airbag issue, including one death in May 2009. The reason for Honda’s latest increase in recalled vehicles is over the company’s concern that a defective inflator manufactured by a Tokyo company may have been used in more vehicles than previously expected.
Included in the additional recalled vehicles are more than 390,000 cars in the U.S. and Canada, with the majority coming from the states. More than 17,000 automobiles are also being recalled in Australia, Japan, and various other Asian countries. However, this ongoing recall does not include a recent recall of more than 140,000 Honda Fit vehicles. That specific recall was due to a problem that led to water seeping into the power window mechanism.
Honda is currently the No. 2 automobile manufacturer in Japan behind Toyota, which is currently having well documented recall issues of its own. Toyota, the No. 1 automobile manufacturer in the world, has had two major recalls since October 2009 involving more than 9 million vehicles and nine of the company’s top-selling models. Most recently, Toyota announced a recall of more than 440,000 Prius models because of a brake design flaw.
If you or a loved one owns one of the affected Honda models and have experienced problems with airbag inflation and subsequent injuries, contact Newsome Law Firm and fill out a case evaluation form today. Our team of attorneys has experience specific to complications associated with automobile recalls. Not only can they give you the legal guidance you need, they can help you get the compensation you deserve.