REPORT: NHTSA probe opened into Honda airbag recall timing
2001 Honda Accord - Click above for high-res image gallery
Over the last year, Honda has recalled roughly 444,000 vehicles to repair overpressurized airbag inflators in certain 2001-2002 Honda Accord, 2001 Civic and 2002-2003 Acura TL models. According to the automaker, there has been one death and multiple injuries stemming from the defect, which can send small metal fragments through the airbag and onto the vehicle's occupants.
For whatever reason, the total recall was announced in two separate increments that were eight months apart – and NHTSA wants to know why. Earlier, Honda had said that the problem was traced back to Takata Corp., which supplied the faulty inflators, and that the supplier had made "incorrect assumptions" about the numbers of parts it had sent to Honda. Says Honda spokesman Chris Martin:
Honda denies any wrongdoing and promises to fully cooperate with the NHTSA investigation.The initial range of recalled vehicles was based on a relatively small sample of problematic airbag deployments...It took some further customer reports of airbag deployments for us to be able to look back and say, these vehicles are not in the lot we identified but have the same problem.
Gallery: 2001 Honda Accord
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[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req'd]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
HotRodzNKustoms 4:40PM (11/09/2009)
Well that's easy somebody either Honda or the supplier was trying to cover up the scope of the problem.
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Tom 4:54PM (11/09/2009)
Looks like Honda still has a lot to learn from Toyota.
Lesson 1: How to cover up 'concerns' and avoid NHTSA probes
Seminole 4:42PM (11/09/2009)
Still the best looking Accord IMO.
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chconline 4:47PM (11/09/2009)
Nah, Gen 7.5 is. This one is too bland.
mk15 4:43PM (11/09/2009)
That's good that the NHTSA is doing investigations like these. Companies need to always aim to get it right the first time. When people's lives are at risk, there's no second chance for them.
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MeiSooHaityu 4:46PM (11/09/2009)
We are sad to report that Honda spokesman "Mr. Opportunity" was tragically killed today due to metal shrapnel from his Honda Accord airbag.
He leaves behind a crappy advertising campaign.
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MeiSooHaityu 4:58PM (11/09/2009)
The only knocking he will be doing, is on heaven's door.
Sorry, couldn't resist :)
rickhamilton620 5:24PM (11/09/2009)
haha, nice one!
dukeisduke 5:28PM (11/09/2009)
"Metal fragments"? What, did Takata accidentally ship claymores, instead of airbags? I guess the tipoff is if your Accord has "This Side Toward Enemy" stenciled on the airbag, it might be part of the recall.
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atomicshark 5:50PM (11/09/2009)
The 1998-2002 Honda Accord is probably one of the biggest lemons of all time. Honda has tried to cover it up over the years. I owned a 2000 EX-V6 coupe that had airbag problems, electrical problems and transmission problems. Luckily my transmission died when Honda decided to extend the transmission warranty to 100,000 on all 2000-2002 Accord V6, Odyssey and Acura TL models.
This was a massive issue that was barely a blip in the news. The airbag issue was another fairly common problem that started when my car hit 15,000 miles and remained until I sold it at 118,000 miles. Honda replaced airbag parts to no avail several times. The airbag warning light would come on a day or two after visiting the dealer. It was a huge time waster. After the warranty was up the dealer wanted me to pay for any more work even though it was never resolved. The brake lamps stopped working three times due to a faulty relay as well. The car ended up being a nightmare.
I replaced the Accord with a 2004 GTO. The GTO ended up being one of the most reliable cars I've ever owned. Go figure.
FYI, I'm not a Honda hater, my wife's 2003 Accord EX only had 1 problem (ABS) for the three years we owned it. Not bad.
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daleam 9:43PM (11/09/2009)
You mean.... Honda isn't perfect??!! *GASP*
atomicshark 10:13PM (11/09/2009)
Yeah, can you believe it?
logicalman56 7:35PM (11/09/2009)
haha, I have had 3 seven gen accords. 98 Accord LX 95,000 low miles, 99 Accord LX 120,000 low miles (traded on a new car), 99 Accord EXV6 with 225,000 miles.
All of them have been flawless, though I feel the regular LX/DX models are bland.
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atomicshark 10:28PM (11/09/2009)
That's cool. Not all were lemons, but many were. BTW, did you buy any of those Accords brand new?
Sometimes you don't really get to know how good or bad a car is unless you own it for a while and put a ton of miles on it. I put 30,000 miles a year on my cars so I was kind of hoping the Accord would be as reliable as Consumer Reports and countless owners have claimed. I'm glad my wife's Accord was.
From my experience I can say that recent American cars are just as reliable as the best from Japan. I've owned a couple of Nissans, three Hondas, a Dodge, two Saturns, a Pontiac, a Ford and a Chevy.
Of all of them, the Honda had the most problems, but the Dodge ('97 Avenger) felt like an old rattle trap the quickest. First rattle after 10,000. Loose feeling suspension after 40,000. Dealer could not fix it so at 59,000 miles I bought the Accord... oh well.
tankd0g 10:22AM (11/10/2009)
Ya my father's Uplander that is in warranty but undrivable because the wheel bearings lasted one year and are on perpetual backorder, because every other Uplander in the country needs them too. That's the new quality you're talking about right? Where's the recall form GM? I guess WHEELS FALLING OFF isn't really a safety issue.
c_lavin 5:43PM (11/10/2009)
Timing recalls may be a fairly widespread issue. I work for WeMakeItSafer.com and we do comprehensive studies of recalls by industry. Using statistics, our Recall Reports show what appears to be recall timing for most industries, even over long five year periods. Check out the reports at http://www.wemakeitsafer.com/RecallStatistics.html
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