Honda, Nissan and Mazda recalling 3 million vehicles for airbag inflators

Mon, 23 Jun 2014

Three million more vehicles can be added to the worldwide tally to be repaired for the faulty airbag inflators supplied by Takata. Honda, Nissan, and Mazda have all issued recalls to replace the bad part, including about 1.2 million of them in North America. NHTSA has been investigating all three companies, plus Chrysler and Toyota, for potentially affected vehicles.

Honda is recalling roughly 1.02 million Civic, CR-V, Odyssey and Element models In North America, built between April 2000 and October 2002. Mazda needs to repair 14,794 units of the RX-8 and Mazda6, and Nissan has 228,000 vehicles in North America to be fixed.

Chrysler is also starting what it calls a "regional field action" to replace the inflators in the 2006 Dodge Charger, according to a company spokesperson. The company says that it has not yet found the problem in any of its vehicles, but it's being done "out of an abundance of caution." The final number of Chargers affected will be announced later this week.

The faulty component was originally discovered in April 2013 when the four Japanese automakers recalled 3.4 million vehicles worldwide, and the situation reignited on June 11, 2014, when Toyota announced 844,277 vehicles in the United States needed to be fixed for the same problem. According to Automotive News, Honda reported that there have been two deaths and 41 ruptures in the US linked to the bad parts, and in NHTSA's preliminary evaluation, it reported six other incidents of the issue occurring.

To prompt the recall, the inflators contain a potentially defective propellant that can cause them to explode when the airbag is meant to deploy. Not only does this affect the bag's inflation, there is also the possibility of shrapnel from the part hitting occupants. According to Automotive News, the problems may stem from the propellant being exposed to moisture during storage.

Autoblog has reached to all three automakers and Takata for more detailed information on the affected models. We will update this story as we hear back from each of them. Scroll down to read the entire statement from Chrylser.

Statement: Regional Field Action

June 23, 2014 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - Chrysler Group has agreed, in principle, to honor a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) request to replace airbag inflators in certain vehicles registered in four U.S. regions.

This is not a safety recall. Chrysler Group has not identified a defect. This is a field action conducted out of an abundance of caution.

The action, expected to receive final approval this week in accordance with Chrysler Group protocol, follows consultation with NHTSA and other automobile manufacturers that use the same airbag inflator.

The Company is aware of a single related injury involving one of its vehicles. The vehicle was equipped with the component, currently under investigation by NHTSA.

The regions affected by Chrysler Group's field action are Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands.

Customers will be advised when they may schedule service. Those with questions or concerns may call Chrysler Group's Customer Information Center at 1-800-853-1403.

By Chris Bruce