In our view, a story in the New York Times, Oct. 22, 2015, does not support the assertion in the headline “Airbag Study Was Kept Quiet During Recalls.”
Following are a few facts that provide perspective on the story:
• The Penn State University research was undertaken in the first place due to a request from Honda to Takata in 2011. We wanted to have confidence that the issue that caused three recalls for Takata airbag inflators in 2008, 2009, and 2010, was contained, or to understand what other actions needed to be taken. Honda is not an expert in propellant technology and must rely on the work of experts in the field.
• Honda viewed the findings by the Penn State researchers as preliminary in nature and therefore believed it was premature to proactively provide this study to the government. There was no effort to “quiet” the study.
To the contrary:
• The Penn State study was published in a scientific journal in 2012. Takata, which funded the study, did not block its release.
• The study has been provided to other third party experts now working on behalf of multiple automakers in the effort to determine the root cause of Takata inflator ruptures.
Our focus remains on taking care of our customers and we continue to urge owners of Honda and Acura vehicles affected by the Takata airbag inflator recalls to get their vehicles repaired at an authorized dealer as soon as possible.
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