A driver in Belleview, Florida, was injured when his vehicle hit a concrete wall at 50 miles per hour and the air bags didn’t inflate, according to one complaint. At this stage the list of vehicles is unknown, but it’s believed the Honda Accord, Dodge Journey and some Mercedes-Benz C-Class models could be affected. In 2011, Fiat-Chrysler reported an inadvertent deployment on a US vehicle and Daimler reported a similar deployment. Brauer says that a dealer is much more likely to be held liable if something does go wrong with a vehicle they sold if it were to be retailed prior to its fix.
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Other auto makers didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Continental Automotive Systems said that 5 million cars worldwide are fitted with potentially faulty air bags.
In the latest sign that automakers are still struggling to understand the scope of the Takata air bag crisis, Honda Motor said on Wednesday that it would expand its recall by more than a third in North America.
The recall is a big chunk of the 5 million additional vehicles to be repaired for Takata inflator problems that USA safety regulators announced last month.
Unfortunately, as with the Takata recall, Honda doesn’t have enough replacement parts to begin fixing Accords yet.
If an indicator light related to the restraint system is illuminated, the vehicle should be taken to the dealership for a diagnostic check, the company said.
In the documents, Continental says its problem first surfaced in January of 2008 when it analyzed a malfunctioning control unit that was removed from a Mercedes.
“The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture”, said the recall notice. Nine of the deaths were in vehicles made by Honda. As such, the recall covers control units built between 2006 and 2011. “If the air bag control unit fails, safety systems such as seat belt pretensioners and air bags may not deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of occupant injury”.
Honda said repairs and replacement for faulty parts will not be available until fall. Affected owners will be contacted within the next 60 days, and once parts are available, a second notification will be sent as well. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009.
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Under Australian law, the government must be notified of any potential recall before the manufacturer may issue a statement.
