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A type of inflatable airbag inflator Takata, once considered safe, is now undergoing a thorough review after an accident and an explosion in Maryland having injured the driver of a Honda van.
The incident forced Honda to recall approximately 1.2 million vehicles in North and Central America between 2001 and 2016 that did not appear in Takata's recall series of airbags that could blow shards into the air. cockpit.
Takata used ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion and inflate airbags in the event of a collision. But the chemical can deteriorate when it is exposed to high temperatures and humidity and blow up a metal cartridge, throwing shrapnel. At least 23 people were killed by the company's inflators and hundreds of others injured.
The recalled inflators on Tuesday contain a moisture-absorbing chemical called desiccant that has been added to keep the ammonium nitrate stable. They were supposed to be safe and have never been part of the recall in a broad sense. They had even been used to replace older inflators during recalls that began in 2014.
However, Honda and the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have stated that an accident on January 19, 2018 involving a 2004 Honda Odyssey opened an investigation and was recalled Tuesday by investigators, who had discovered that the cushion inflator Inflatable driver had broken. The probe determined that the inflators manufactured at Takata's plant in Monclova, Mexico, were faulty due to a manufacturing defect, Honda said. The driver was injured on the arm.
The NHTSA, the government's road safety control authority, said Tuesday in a statement that only Honda was using this particular type of Takata inflator manufactured at the Mexican factory. At present, the agency believes that Honda's problem has been isolated and is caused by a manufacturing problem.
The recall concerns certain Honda and Acura models, mainly in the United States and Canada. Included are Honda Accord 2001-2007 and 2009, the 2001-2005 Civic, the CR-V 2002-2007 and 2010 and 2011, the 2003-2011 element, the 2007 Fit, the Odyssey 2002-2004, the 2003-2008 pilot. and the Ridgeline pickup from 2006 to 2014. Also included are some 2003 Acura 3.2CL cars, as well as ILX 2013-2016, MDX 2003-2006, RDX 2007-2016, 2002-2003 3.2L, 2004 -2006 and 2009-2014 and the 2010 to 2013 ZDX.
NHTSA stated that all vehicles that have received replacement airbag inflators are not affected. Some had spare parts from other safe manufacturers. The agency has asked homeowners to check the current reminders by entering their 17-digit identification number on the NHTSA website, at www.nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Honda said in a statement that owners would be notified by mail in early April, but spare parts from manufacturers other than Takata are available to begin the recall immediately. Honda offers free loan cars while the vehicles are under repair.
An NHTSA investigation into Takata air bag inflators remains open. Under the terms of an agreement with the agency, Takata has until the end of this year to prove that the inflators containing the chemical absorbing moisture are safe, otherwise they will all have to to be recalled.
Together, the Takata recalls are the largest series of auto recalls in US history, with no less than 70 million inflators to recall by the end of next year. About 100 million inflators have to be recalled worldwide.
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This story was corrected to correct the spelling of the desiccant, a moisture absorbing chemical used by Takata in the recalled air bag inflators.
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