In a report published by Reuters, Honda stated that they will be recalling 750,000 vehicles in the United States due to a defect regarding airbags that could deploy unintentionally during a crash.
A woman walks past the Honda headquarters building in Tokyo on April 28, 2017. Honda on April 28 said its annual net profit jumped 79 percent on a reduction in expenses related to a historic autobag recall by its main supplier and robust vehcle sales in the US and China.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) stated that the front passenger seat may crack and short circuit thus failing to suppress the airbags as intended. Dealers are to replace the seat weight sensors. In December of last year, Honda had to recall 4.5 million vehicles worldwide in regards to risks of fuel pump failure, 2.54 million of which were in the United States.
The Vehicles Included
The recall involves several models including the Honda Pilot, Accord, and Civic from the years 2020-2022. A few of the Honda CR-V and Passport models from the 2020 and 2021 years are also going to be recalled. Honda has filed a statement with the safety regulator saying that it had 3,834 warranty claims and that there were no reported injuries or deaths since the recall in June 2020. To explain the potential origin of this defect Honda reported to the NHTSA that after a natural disaster had impacted the manufacturing facility of a subcontractor leading to a temporary change in the base material in the printed circuit board of the seat weight sensor. Honda stated that the alternative base material used "could allow additional strain to the printed circuit board".
Honda is not the only manufacturer that has been recalling some of its vehicles. Toyota also recalled 1.12 million of its vehicles in December last year worldwide due to a short circuit in a sensor that could also result in airbags not deploying as they were intended. The report did not specify whether the two vehicle manufacturers have used the same alternative materials or subcontractors. The manufacturer along with others such as Volkswagen has come under fire as the UWA filed unfair labor practices that involve what was described as aggressive anti-union campaigns.
