Honda has notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the rupture of a Takata driver’s airbag inflator in a 2001 Honda Accord on June 18, 2016 at a private residence in Hialeah, Florida. The rupture occurred while an individual, who was not the vehicle owner, was attempting to perform unknown repairs inside the vehicle using a hammer while the ignition switch was in the “on” position. This triggered activation of the airbag inflator, which ruptured during deployment of the airbag. The individual died the next day from injuries sustained when the airbag deployed.
It is difficult to determine whether the cause of death in this incident was the inflator rupture, or an interaction of the hammer with the deploying airbag. While the absolute cause of death may never be fully determined, Honda now considers this to be the 11th confirmed fatality in its vehicles related to Takata airbag inflator ruptures in the U.S.
Honda has shared all of the available vehicle history information collected to date with NHTSA and will continue to cooperate with NHTSA throughout the process of the investigation.
Since 2009, the vehicle in the Hialeah, Florida event has been included in multiple recalls as well as a safety campaign related to its original defective Takata “Alpha” driver’s airbag inflator. Twelve mailed recall notices were sent over the course of nearly seven years to registered owners of this vehicle prior to the June 2016 incident. Our records indicate that the recall repair was never completed on this vehicle.
Honda continues to encourage all owners of vehicles containing recalled Takata airbag inflators, especially the “Alpha” inflators found in certain 2001-2003 models, to immediately check for open recalls and, if replacement is required, make an appointment at an authorized dealer for a free repair.
The full list of vehicles that NHTSA has identified as being at higher risk of rupture – containing so-called “Alpha” inflators – is below. (Vehicle owners should check by VIN):
Year | Model | Year | Model |
2001-2002 | Honda Accord | 2002-2003 | Acura 3.2TL |
2001-2002 | Honda Civic | 2003 | Acura 3.2CL |
2002 | Honda CR-V | ||
2002 | Honda Odyssey | ||
2003 | Honda Pilot |
[Note to the Media: Please include the following as you report this story.]
Honda currently has sufficient supplies of replacement inflators to complete the required repairs for all vehicles subject to the open recall that included this vehicle, and we continue to encourage all Honda and Acura vehicle owners to immediately check for open recalls at www.recalls.honda.com and www.recalls.acura.com and contact an authorized dealer as soon as possible to schedule the free repair. Any concerned customer can also contact Automobile Customer Service at 888-234-2138.
More information about the higher-risk inflators can be found here: https://hondaairbaginfo.com/statement-by-american-honda-regarding-psdi-inflators-in-2001-2003-vehicles-6302016/
The following resource will answer many foundational questions you may have on this issue: https://hondaairbaginfo.com/takata-airbag-inflator-recall-fact-sheet/
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