In documents posted Thursday with US regulators, Continental said it received a control unit from Daimler in January 2008 after a vehicle owner complained the airbag warning light had illuminated. Honda will not have enough parts for replacement for all vehicles until autumn.
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Honda has also stated that it was recalling 341,000 Accords due to a separate issue affecting the electronic control unit used in supplemental restraint systems in 2008-2010, which could also result in airbags failing deploy. Similarly to the aftermath of the massive recall pertaining to the Takata airbags, companies like Honda and Fiat Chrysler are being forced to address an issue they had left unattended for quite some time now.
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”.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration started probing the problem in August amid complaints that air bags failed to deploy in 2008 Honda Accords. At least two injuries have been linked to the problem, according to Honda. Affected vehicles include model-year 2007-2016 models from Honda as well as its Acura luxury division. Honda’s latest recall is included in that count. In the affected vehicles, the air bag control units may corrode and fail.
Today’s recall follows the first death that occurred in a non-Honda vehicle, which has sparked five million additional recalls across the U.S. Honda says that the new recall will replace Takata’s model PSDI-5 driver-side inflator. She said it was up to carmakers to issue a recall. “All potentially affected customers were notified immediately and we are in close contact them”, a Continental spokeswoman said.
The company will recall 440,000 vehicles in Japan and another 2.2 million in the United States, although it will not say where the other 3.1 million vehicles are located until negotiations with the relevant authorities in each country are concluded.
Continental Automotive will recall faulty airbag control units that were installed in 5 million vehicles worldwide.
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Honda explains that this recall has been made based on a Defect Information Report from airbag supplier, Takata.
