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New death linked to Takata airbag crisis, Honda recalls 170k vehicles overseas

The safety crisis surrounding Takata's exploding airbags continues to expand. In the latest revelation, Honda confirms another death linked to the faulty parts, and the company is expanding its recall of the components. However, none of the newly added vehicles are in the United States.
With the confirmation of this report, there are now five deaths linked to the faulty airbags. According to The New York Times, a pregnant woman in Malaysia was killed on July 27 in a 2003 Honda City when she crashed into another vehicle, and the inflator ruptured. This was the first announced case outside of the US.
The faulty part in the woman's car was reportedly made at a now-closed Takata factory in Georgia, according to the NYT, and it's the first known example from that location. In response, Honda recalled about 170,000 vehicles in Europe and Asia to replace the potentially bad inflators. The latest campaign brings the total number of recalled vehicles worldwide to around 14.3 million units.

Mixed sales results, but automaker stocks rise on need for cars in Houston

DETROIT — The Big Three Detroit automakers on Friday reported better-than-expected August sales and issued optimistic outlooks for demand as residents of the Houston area replace flood-damaged cars and trucks after Hurricane Harvey, sending their stocks higher. General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler posted mixed August U.S. sales, with GM up 7.5 percent and Ford and Fiat Chrysler down. Japanese automaker Toyota improved sales by nearly 7 percent, while Honda fell 2.4 percent. Still, analysts focused on the potential for Detroit automakers to cut inventories and stabilize used vehicle prices as residents of Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States, are forced to replace tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of vehicles after the devastation from Hurricane Harvey. Mark LaNeve, Ford's U.S. sales chief, told analysts on Friday that following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 "we saw a very dramatic snapback" in demand. That said, Ford sales fell 2.1 percent in August. It sold 209,897 vehicles in the United States, compared with 214,482 a year earlier. Sales were down 1.9 percent in the Ford division and off 5.8 percent at Lincoln. Demand was down for cars, crossovers and SUVs. It was not clear how many vehicles in the Houston area will be scrapped, LaNeve said, saying he had seen estimates ranging from 200,000 to 400,000 to 1 million. Ford's Houston dealers may have lost fewer than 5,000 vehicles in inventory, he said. Ford is the No. 1 automaker in the Houston market, with 18 percent share, according to IHS Markit. The company plans to ship used vehicles to Houston dealers and has "every indication we would have to add some production" of new vehicles to meet demand, LaNeve said. Investor concerns about inventories of unsold vehicles and falling used car prices have weighed on Detroit automakers' shares most of this year. Now, automakers can anticipate a jolt of demand from a big market that is a stronghold for Detroit brand trucks and SUVs. "It's got to be a positive for the industry," LaNeve said. Investors appeared to agree. GM shares rose as much as 3.3 percent to their highest since early March. Ford increased 2.8 percent at $11.34, and Fiat Chrysler's U.S.-traded shares were up 5.2 percent $15.91, hitting their highest in more than five years. GM reported a 7.5 percent increase in U.S. auto sales in August, helped by robust sales of crossovers across its four brands.

Honda recalls 2.23 million vehicles to replace Takata inflators

The Basics: Honda and Acura will recall 2.23 million vehicles in the US. The affected models are: 2005-2012 Acura RL 2007-2011 Honda CR-V 2007-2016 Acura RDX (early production MY 2016 vehicles only) 2007-2014 Honda Ridgeline 2009-2014 Honda Fit 2009-2014 Acura TL 2010-2014 Honda FCX Clarity 2010-2014 Honda Insight 2010-2013 Acura ZDX 2011-2015 Honda CR-Z 2013-2016 Acura ILX (early production MY 2016 vehicles only) The Problem: These vehicles have Takata's PSDI-5 airbag inflator on the driver's side, and this part could rupture if the airbag deploys. Injuries/Deaths: There are no reported ruptures of the PSDI-5 inflator in Honda or Acura vehicles. However, Takata's exploding components have links to at least 10 deaths worldwide because they can spray shrapnel at occupants. The Fix: Honda and Acura dealers will replace the inflators with parts from an alternative supplier. If You Own One: The repairs will begin this summer. Owners will receive a letter notifying them about the recall within 60 days and will get a second message when the parts are available. The company will prioritize older models in high-humidity regions first because these inflators would be most likely to rupture. More Information: Honda and Acura have now recalled 8.51 million vehicles in the US to replace their driver or passenger side inflators. This latest expansion came in the wake of a driver death from an airbag rupture in a Ford Ranger. Ford and Mazda already enlarged their safety campaigns. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also announced Audi, BMW, Daimler Vans, Mercedes-Benz, Saab, and Volkswagen would have recalls for this issue, too. Statement by American Honda Regarding Nationwide Recall of Certain Takata PSDI-5 Driver Front Airbag Inflators Feb 3, 2016 - TORRANCE, Calif. Approximately 2.23 million Takata PSDI-5 driver front airbag inflators will require replacement in Honda and Acura vehicles in the U.S. No PSDI-5 inflator ruptures have been reported in Honda or Acura vehicles Takata inflators will be replaced with parts from an alternative supplier with repairs beginning in the Summer of 2016 Based on a recent Defect Information Report (16E-005) from the airbag inflator supplier, Takata, Honda will conduct a national recall (16V-061) of approximately 2.23 million Honda and Acura vehicles in the United States to replace, free of charge to vehicle owners, the PSDI-5 Takata driver front airbag inflators installed in those vehicles.