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Airbag Issues Spur Honda, Acura To Recall Vehicles, Again

Honda, particularly hard-hit by its reliance on Takata as its sole airbag supplier for years, has been forced to recall vehicles again that have already by touched by the major airbag recall. The automaker has been forced to recall 19,000 vehicles that have already had their airbag inflators replaced to recall the vehicles again for new replacements.
Honda 2012 Crosstour

While there hasn’t been much noise about it lately, the Takata airbag recall and its aftermath continue to roil the auto industry. For example, Honda and Acura have launched a recalled for 19,000 vehicles to replace improperly installed airbags. Honda first installed the safety devices as part of the massive Takata airbag recall.

Reason For Recalls Is Improper Installation

The reason the replacement of the replacements is necessary is that, according to Honda, “dealer technicians at several U.S. dealers may have installed replacement inflators incorrectly.” The result is that the front airbags may not deploy properly in a crash, increasing the chance of injury.

This recall is similar to 2017 and 2018 recall campaigns. Honda says there have been no improper deployments or injuries as a result of this problem.

Earlier this year, Honda recalled 1.1 million vehicles due to a manufacturing flaw in already-installed replacement driver-side airbags. The smaller recall also covers some of the vehicles involved in the larger recall.

The vehicles involved in the recalls were already part of history’s largest safety recall, that involved some 50 million Takata airbag inflators in 37 million vehicles. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the massive call back involved vehicles from 19 manufacturers.

Propellant The Cause Of The Recall

The massive recall revolves around Takata’s choice of airbag propellant. The airbag manufacturer chose ammonium nitrate as to inflate its airbags. Due to manufacturing issues, over time moisture infiltrated the chemical, primarily in areas of high humidity and temperature (the U.S. South, for instance). This created a condition where the propellant in the flawed inflators degraded. As the propellant degraded, the explosive force of the airbag inflators became very violent. The resulting blast ended up destroying inflator housings, turning the shards into shrapnel that could kill or wound the driver and passenger.

To date, 15 drivers and passengers in the U.S. have died as a result of the exploding inflators, while 250 more have been seriously injured, according to the federal safety agency. Worldwide the number of deaths has hit 25 with a cluster of five or more in Malaysia.

The free repair will begin next month. If you receive a notice, the dealer’s technicians will inspect the airbag installation and replace the inflator with a new one.

Latest Recall Involves 12 Honda, Acura Models

The latest Honda recall covers 12 different vehicles, including cars and crossovers. The call back covers:

  • 2009-2014 Acura TSX
  • 2011-2013 Acura TSX Sport Wagon
  • 2010-2011 Honda Accord Crosstour
  • 2012-2014 Honda Crosstour
  • 2006-2011 Honda Civic
  • 2006-2011 Honda Civic Hybrid and Civic NGV
  • 2007-2011 Honda CR-V
  • 2009-2013 Honda Fit
  • 2010-2013 Honda Insight
  • 2009-2015 Honda Pilot

    • Contact The Manufacturer For Information

    To find out whether the recall affects your vehicle, contact the automaker at 888-234-2138. Or, owners can go online and checkout the Acura Lookup Site or Honda Lookup Site. The recall campaign number is 19V378000.

    Sources: NHTSA, Consumer Reports

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