Honda has been notified that an inspection by a representative of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has confirmed that a Takata driver’s airbag inflator ruptured in the crash of a 2001 Honda Civic on September 30, 2016 in Riverside County, California, resulting in the tragic death of the driver. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the family of the driver during this difficult time.
Honda has shared with NHTSA all of the available vehicle history information collected to date and will continue to cooperate with NHTSA throughout the process of investigating this crash.
Since 2008, the vehicle involved in this crash has been included in multiple recalls and a market campaign. More than twenty mailed recall notices were sent over the course of nearly eight years to registered owners of this vehicle. Our records indicate that the recall repair was never completed.
This vehicle was included in the first recall related to Takata airbag inflator ruptures in 2008, and its original driver’s airbag inflator, which was never replaced, is among those identified by NHTSA earlier this year as having a “far higher risk of rupture” during airbag deployments than other recalled Takata airbags.
The full list of vehicles that NHTSA has identified as being at higher risk of rupture 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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