Honda Issues “Do Not Drive” Warning for Older Models Until Air Bags Are Fixed

Honda and the U.S. government published a ‘Do Not Drive’ Alert Friday for approximately 8,200 Honda and Acura vehicles older than Honda models that still have Takata Alpha inflators. We urge car owners to immediately have them repaired as the defective components could cause serious injury. Airbags They make it unsafe to drive the vehicles in which they are located.

The urgent warning relates to various 2001-2003 models with Alpha airbags, including Honda Accord, Civic CR-V, and Odyssey, Pilot, and Acura 3.2CL and 3.2 TL vehicles.

To check if your vehicle is covered, owners can visit www.auto-insure.com https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls and Keying in their 17 digit vehicle identification number (VIN).

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), owners of these vehicles should stop driving them until they have their vehicle repaired by their dealer or Acura/Honda customer care. Honda will tow your vehicle free of charge and loan you a vehicle for free if needed.

The safety agency states that there is a 50% chance that the Alpha inflators will burst in a crash. If the inflators explode, they can shoot shrapnel toward the driver’s face which could kill them or cause serious injuries.

“These inflators are two decades old now, and they pose a 50 percent chance of rupturing in even a minor crash,” Ann Carlson, Acting Administrator of NHTSA, stated in a statement.

Takata used ammonium-nitrate to cause a small explosion that inflated air bags in a crash. However, the chemical can become volatile when it is exposed over time to moisture and high temperatures. An explosion can cause a metal canister to burst and shrapnel can be hurled into the passenger compartment.

Honda said on Friday it has attempted to reach owners more than 18.3 million times including mailed notifications, emails, phone calls, and door-to-door visits. Honda has to date replaced or accounted for more than 99 percent of the “Alpha” inflators.

In 2009, at least 33 people died from exploding airbags, with 24 of them in the United States.

Over the last decade, more than 67 million Takata air bag inflators have been recalled in the United States by more than 20 automakers and more than 100 million inflators worldwide, in the biggest auto safety callback in history. Takata Corp. of Japan went bankrupt due to the explosion of air bags.

Honda was the car manufacturer with the greatest number of Takata Inflators.

This report was contributed by Reuters and the Associated Press.