Honda is recalling around 784,000 vehicles in Japan for faulty Takata airbag inflators, according to Reuters.
Among the affected models are the Odyssey minivan, Fit subcompact, and Civic sedan with production dates ranging between 2003 and 2009. Honda will replace the passenger-side airbags as part of the campaign.
To date, manufacturers have recalled more than 100 million vehicles around the world due to Takata airbag inflators that can explode with too much force and send metal shrapnel throughout the cabin. The airbags have been linked to more than 100 injuries and 13 deaths worldwide.
Although Takata sells airbags to many different automakers, Honda is Takata’s biggest customer and has suffered the most from the fallout. Meanwhile, Takata is in much worse shape as recall costs grow higher. It is currently seeking financial backers, and Chinese auto supplier Ningbo Joyson Electronic Corp. is reportedly one of its suitors.
Japanese authorities are working to make sure Takata airbags without a drying agent are gone by March 2019. The supplier has been adding drying agents to new airbags with ammonium nitrate to help absorb moisture and extend the inflator’s shelf life.
Since the scandal broke, Honda has stepped up as one of the automakers to ban takata airbags on future models.
Source: Motortrend