We will update this story as soon as we know more. Honda reported two injuries from the problem.
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Honda told its dealers that replacement parts are in very short supply and can only be ordered for vehicles with crash damage or with airbag issues.
Honda said it received reports of two injuries linked to the flaw. This most recent round of recalls brings the number of US recalls to 24 million and Honda accounts for more than a third (8.5 million) of that total. Continental Automotive Systems says in documents filed with the government, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016, that moisture can get inside its air bag control computers, causing the power supplies to corrode and fail.
The recall is unrelated to a separate one involving airbags made by Takata Corp.
“However, due to the large volume of new parts needed to fix affected units, the necessary parts will not be available until fall 2016”, the statement said. According to its filing, Dodge Journey, Dodge Grand Caravan, Chrysler Town and Country, and Volkswagen Routan – which Chrysler manufactured – were the affected vehicles.
Honda spokesman Chris Martin confirmed the dealer memo as well as the stop-sale order, which he said is Honda’s protocol with any recall that involves cars likely to be among dealer’s new or certified pre-owned inventory.
At least 11 people have been killed worldwide as a result of the problem, and 139 others have been injured.
Continental is now notify automakers who have the affected units installed in their vehicles. Repairs in other parts of the USA will follow.
Unfortunately, as with the Takata recall, Honda doesn’t have enough replacement parts to begin fixing Accords yet.
Under federal law, once a manufacturer is aware of a safety problem, it must, within five business days, inform regulators of its plans for a recall or face civil penalties. They say the driver’s air bag inflators made by Takata can explode.
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NHTSA on the same day asked Continental to analyze an air bag control module from a 2008 Honda Accord involved in a March 30, 2015 accident.- August 18, 2015: NHTSA opened an investigation regarding 2008 to 2010 model year Honda Accord sedans.- September 9, 2015: Continental analyzed an air bag control module in the March 30 accident and took the same type of device from the Accord in the October 26, 2013 crash. “Yet NHTSA has resisted our repeated calls to expand its recall”.
