Florida Honda Air Bag Recall Alert : More Vehicles Recalled for After Fla. Car Accident with Injury in August
If the unthinkable -- a serious traffic accident -- occurs in Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, or elsewhere here in South Florida, drivers want to count on their autos' safety equipment to perform as the manufacturer intended. A current automotive safety recall affects just such a piece of safety equipment. It's one Florida drivers normally forget is there -- until a motor vehicle crash occurs and it deploys. We are talking about air bags. And an ongoing problem with Honda airbags has a Florida connection.
Media reports state that Honda is recalling more than 300K vehicles around the world due to a concern that the air bag could malfunction and cause injury during an auto accident. (Automotive equipment recalls are related to product liability issues.)
According to news reports, the current Honda air bag recall is an expansion of safety recalls of previous years -- over concern that the wrong chemicals were used to make the air bags inflate. This problem could cause airbags to inflate with too much pressure during deployment in an auto crash, causing the inflator to rupture. Drivers and passengers may be at risk of being struck and injured by flying plastic and metal debris (what USA Today calls "shrapnel") traveling through the ruptured airbag, if the faulty airbags deployed during serious car accidents.
Florida Connection to Honda AirBag Safety Recall
USA Today reported that, "The latest injury happened in Florida on Aug. 1, and that prompted Honda -- which thought the four previous recalls had covered all suspect vehicles -- to announce the latest expansion." A Detroit automotive news source added that the Florida Honda airbag accident with injury occurred in a vehicle that had not been recalled, prompting Honda to look at the recall again. The initial Honda air bag recall reportedly took place in Nov. 2008. The combined recalls related to the air bag problem now amount to some 2.8 million vehicles worldwide -- 2.5 million of them in the U.S.
A Fort Lauderdale auto product liability attorney has knowledge pertaining to automotive manufacturer liability and Florida consumers' rights. When a traffic accident with injury or death occurs in Broward County, Fla., an experienced defective product lawyer can work with families to help determine if they may have a case or claim -- when they think their vehicle or auto equipment malfunction may have played a part in the serious traffic accident.
Honda reportedly disclosed that about 20 traffic accidents related to the air bag recall have occurred, including two auto accidents with deaths in the United States. The current vehicles affected are Honda from model years 2001 and 2002: Accord, Civic, Odyssey, Pilot, CR-V and other models. See links below to official Honda website resources for vehicle owners.
Sources:
Honda Recalls 304,000 Vehicles Worldwide For Air-Bag Problem
Huff Post Business Dec. 2, 2011
Honda expands 'shrapnel' air bag recall -- again
USA Today Dec. 2, 2011
Safety group wants Honda fined over recall
The Detroit News Dec. 5, 2011
Related Web Resources:
Honda Automobile Recall Information (look up your VIN here)
Statement by American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Regarding Driver’s Airbag Inflator Recall Expansion (PDF)
Honda Recall Press Release Dec. 1, 2011
