According to the official documents Continental filed with the government, the airbag problem first surfaced back in the beginning of 2008. Furthermore, it has noted 1,575 warranty claims and 83 field reports.
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The fatality marked the ninth death attributed to the air bag inflators in the U.S. One death was also reported overseas. “While about 28 million of these inflators have been recalled to date through vehicle recalls, a staggering 26 million remain in vehicles not yet recalled”. They say the driver’s air bag inflators made by Takata can explode.
Brauer says he thinks a manufacturer holding a dealer more accountable for the backlash of safety recalls is simply them doing everything they can to try to handle the situation. Previously the Takata airbag recall had pertained to older models, generally from model year 2008 and earlier.
Logo of German tyre company Continental is pictured at the headquarters in Hanover, April 25, 2014. Honda said it has two reports of people being hurt because the air bags didn’t deploy.
Fiat Chrysler has plans on recalling some 112,000 2009 Dodge Journeys, 2008 and 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan, as well as Chrysler Town & Country minivans.
In some cars, air bags on both the driver and passenger side have been recalled. Repairs in other parts of the US will follow.
Another filing on the NHTSA website showed that Continental had been aware of the problem since early 2008. “But it’s part of a global supply chain being pressured by the need to replace tens of millions Takata airbags”. Fiat Chrysler said none of the affected vehicles used air-bag inflaters equipped with ammonium nitrate, a chemical propellant linked to problems in exploding air bags made by a separate company, Takata Corp.
The 13 models recalled in Japan cover the years 2005 to 2014. “And if it’s my model, I want the recall”, said Ramon Alarcon. The recall of Continental airbags comes on the heels of the massive Takata airbag recalls that have expanded to almost 34 million vehicles in the US alone and has led to the company being fined with a $200-million civil penalty. The Accord and Civic are Honda’s best-selling models in the United States, placed at fifth and sixth, respectively, in sales in 2015. Both Honda and Acura vehicles have been included in the recall.
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The latest action, for 2.23 million vehicles, reveals just how much Honda, a longtime partner of Takata and the automaker most affected by the defective air bags, continues to be haunted by them.
