Honda PH recalls 1,760 units over faulty airbags

MANILA, Philippines – Honda Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI) on Wednesday, July 9, announced the recall of 1,760 units of Honda Fit, City, Civic and Accord sold between 2002 and 2003 due to faulty inflation device of the front passenger airbag.

The announcement is part of a global recall of vehicles initiated by parent Honda Motor Company Ltd. 

An estimated 2.1 million Honda vehicles worldwide are affected by this recall, which involves the replacement of the affected inflator.

Concerned owners will be notified through letter-notices to be sent by HCPI, and through phone by Honda dealers.

Honda is encouraging all affected customers to take their vehicles to an authorized dealer where the defective inflator will be replaced free of charge.

In case the affected vehicles have already been sold by their original owners, the latter are requested to inform the dealership immediately so their buyers can be informed about the recall campaign.

“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience we have caused to our customers and other people involved in this matter. Rest assured that we are conducting different measures to prevent the recurrence of this problem. Our customers’ safety is always Honda’s top priority. Please bear with us as we conduct this safety campaign,” HCPI’s President and General Manager Toshio Kuwahara said in a press statement.

Due to the worldwide recall, replacement parts supply is limited and will come in by batch.

Replacement of the affected part will take about an hour and will be carried out in all 32 authorized dealers and 3 service centers nationwide. Repair service of affected vehicles will start July 31.

Below is the list of vehicles included in the recall:

Owners of Honda City, Jazz, Civic, Accord, CR-Z, CR-V, HR-V, Pilot and Odyssey models which are not covered by this recall have no reason to worry since the airbags of their cars were assembled during other periods, HCPI said.

Faulty airbags

The report traces the cause of the faulty airbags to the automatic rejection system machine’s failure to detect defective airbag inflators containing low density propellants.

Subsequently, the defective airbag inflation devices manufactured and delivered by the supplier were inadvertently installed during the assembly of the affected vehicles. As a result, upon airbag deployment, the pressure increases excessively and might cause the inflator case to rupture.

Despite this, there has been no known or reported case yet of abnormal passenger airbag deployment or of any crashes or injuries related to or arising from this issue.

In 2012, HCPI recalled 20,587 units of Honda CR-V sold from 2002 to 2004 over a headlight malfunction.

In 2013, HCPI recalled 171 units of Honda Pilot and Odyssey sold from June 2012 to January 2013 over reported inappropriate installation of driver airbag rivets. – Rappler.com