Honda to recall 2.2M vehicles for Takata air bag trouble

Instead, this is an extension of the Continental recall affecting 112,001 Chrysler, Dodge, and Volkswagen vehicles we wrote about earlier today.

The memo also included a warning: vehicle dealerships would be responsible for any claims stemming from selling an unrepaired auto from the affected population. At least two injuries have been linked to the problem, according to Honda.

NHTSA opened an investigation in August after receiving 19 reports of failed airbag control modules in the 2008 Accord. But the chemical can degrade over time when exposed to heat and humidity and explode with too much force, blowing apart a metal canister created to contain the explosion.

Continental said it would notify automakers that installed these air bag control units in their vehicles.

On that same day, NHTSA said it contacted Continental and requested that Continental conduct a download of an ACU from a 2008 Honda Accord that was involved in an accident on March 30 of previous year.

Continental says it is aware of 521 field returns involving 3 million airbags produced from 2006 until the first countermeasure was introduced. The company says the air bags may not inflate in a crash. Then in 2011, Mercedes and Fiat Chrysler reported inadvertent airbag deployments, while a year ago, Honda reported two airbag non-deployments in 2008 Honda Accords.

The U.S. safety investigation is still under way. Of the ten deaths conclusively linked to Takata’s fatally flawed inflators, nine took place in Honda vehicles.

Gordon Trowbridge, a spokesman for the NHTSA, confirmed on Wednesday that the agency had received a recall filing from Honda.

Honda told its dealers that replacement parts are in very short supply and can only be ordered for vehicles with crash damage or with airbag issues. Drivers with an activated supplemental restraint system light should visit a dealer for a fix from the limited number of parts on hand, the company said.

This new recall action makes a total of approximately 8.51 million Honda and Acura vehicles subject to replacement of a Takata driver and/or passenger front airbag inflator in the United States.

This is what cars made the recall list, according to a recent press release, and you should see if you have one of these models.

The widely publicised Takata airbag recall is set to widen with Continental Automotive Systems (CAS) today revealing that one of its airbag control units may be defective. In addition to being hit by Continental’s recall, it was the hardest-hit manufacturer in the Takata recall.

Honda said the PSDI-5 inflators will be replaced, beginning this summer, with parts from another supplier. The problem is not related to the ongoing saga of Takata airbags that explode and maim people.