The Japanese automaker also said it was recalling 341,000 Accords due to a separate issue affecting the electronic control unit used in supplemental restraint systems in 2008-2010 models, which could result in air bags failing to deploy. This is on top of over 100 deadly injuries, which have been reported tied to the same defect.
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Perhaps the biggest problem posed by the Continental recall is it puts more stress on the supply of replacement airbags for Takata, said Brauer. Honda dropped Takata as a supplier in November. The repairs are scheduled to begin this summer, and owners should receive a letter notifying them about the recall within 60 days and will get a second message when parts are available.
Honda said the most up-to-date consumer information about the recalls can be obtained at www.recalls.honda.com and www.recalls.acura.com, or by calling 888-234-2138. A number of other manufacturers are affected by this problem, as well.
US Senator Bill Nelson, the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, denounced what he called “the never-ending flow of piecemeal recall announcements for Takata air bags”, which he said “needs to end”.
At the moment, Honda has already recorded two confirmed injuries linked to this defect.
That risk with Takata airbags has been at the center of a massive safety action that has led to the recall of tens of millions of vehicles worldwide and has continued to grow in recent weeks. Among the impacted vehicles are those manufactured by Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Fiat Chrysler, Volvo Trucks and Mazda. Takata agreed to appoint an independent monitor to oversee its recalls and operate under the terms of a five-year consent decree. Continental was first made aware of the problem in 2008 and made multiple changes to its control units in the following years, Reuters reported.
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Continental said it built 3 million units from 2006 until the design change and 2 million after it that are covered by the recall. It did not receive any complaints after another change was made at the end of 2010 and completed in 2011. This is potentially unsafe because air bags may not inflate during a vehicle crash.
