Autoblog

BMW adds 42k 3 Series models to massive airbag recall

Michael Harley — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:45:00 EST

Filed under: Recalls, BMW

On the heels of the massive airbag recall just last month, which included a total of 3.4 million Japanese automobiles from Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mazda, German automaker BMW has announced that it will recall 42,000 of its 2002-03 3 Series models (E46 platform) for the same problem. The recall is blamed on a single defective part, all from the same supplier, which may cause the airbag to catch fire or send metal fragments towards passengers in the front seats. BMW spokesman Dave Buchko told the Detroit News that the automaker knows of no improper "deployments or injuries related to this issue in any BMW."

The part in question, supplied from a company named Takata, was manufactured incorrectly at its Moses Lake, WA, plant. The company also disclosed that some airbag components may have been exposed to moisture at another one of its locations, in Mexico. According to Takata, there have been six incidents worldwide (four in the United States) and none have resulted in injuries.

BMW adds 42k 3 Series models to massive airbag recall originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 May 2013 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Airbag recalls on track for record year

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 06 May 2013 11:31:00 EST

Filed under: Safety, Technology

The escalating complexity of automobiles is led in part by the escalating complexity of safety systems. The once dumb airbag that lived all alone inside the steering wheel, for instance, is now a family of smart airbags that might be able to detect the location of the passenger they're meant to protect and how best to inflate in order to protect him. Beyond the increased sticker price, the cost of that technology is more things going wrong.

According to a story on AOL Autos there have been 22 recalls in the last six months due to airbags - covering more than 3.8 million cars up to 12 years old - compared to ten in the six months before. 15 of those have come this year, and at the current pace 2013 is on course to surpass the total of 23 airbag-related recalls of 2012. Malfunctions that led to the recalls have included airbags not deploying when expected, or deploying unexpectedly, or causing additional injuries and damage to occupants when they do deploy.

It can take suppliers, automakers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration years to address the issue and initiate a recall, even after hundreds of complaints have been filed. On top of that, the increasing concentration of the supplier base and the move to global platforms means that what might once have been a localized issue is now a global one. Some look at the number of airbag recalls as a problem with the technology, feeling "it's not working very well." Others see it as the improved operation of the corrective system - more issues are being recalled because automakers are taking safety concerns more seriously. The "right" answer, if there is one, is no doubt as complex as the technology, so click over to AOL Autos for the full story and decide for yourself.

Airbag recalls on track for record year originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 May 2013 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Nissan Versa's airbag under NHTSA investigation

Jeff Sabatini — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 09:59:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Nissan

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating the 2012 Nissan Versa for a possible defective airbag cable assembly. Some 100,000 Versa sedans may have cables that are pinched in the steering column, which could lead to the airbag not deploying, according to Automotive News.

Nissan notified NHTSA of the issue, though no complaints about the problem have yet been made. The investigation by NHTSA will help determine whether or not a recall is warranted.

The new Versa was already recalled in February for problems with its shifter assembly, whereby automatic-transmission-equipped cars could be shifted out of Park without the driver first depressing the brake pedal. To its credit, though, the Versa was named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in March.

2012 Nissan Versa's airbag under NHTSA investigation originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 09:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2013 Dodge Durango recalled for faulty airbag module

Jeff Sabatini — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 15:40:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Chrysler, Dodge

Chrysler has barely begun production of the 2013 Dodge Durango, but it's already encountered problems that have led to a recall. An incorrect airbag module was installed in roughly 1,500 of the early-production, seven-passenger Durango models. According to Chrysler, these vehicles received mislabeled modules intended for the five-passenger version. In a crash, this could lead to the side-curtain airbag not deploying for the third row.

Chrysler says most of the vehicles that were incorrectly assembled have yet to be sold, but those that have will be repaired by dealers starting in September.

Scroll down to read Chrysler's statement on the situation, as well as the full recall report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Continue reading 2013 Dodge Durango recalled for faulty airbag module

2013 Dodge Durango recalled for faulty airbag module originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Airbag recall forces Honda past Toyota in total recalls for 2012

Zach Bowman — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:31:00 EST

Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Acura, Honda, Toyota

Honda has surpassed Toyota for the largest number of recalled vehicles in 2011. Wards Auto reports that Honda expanded an airbag recall to encompass a total of 2.5 million million vehicles last year, pushing the total number of recalled units to 3.9 million vehicles over 17 campaigns. Previous estimates put Toyota at the head of the recall pile with 13 campaigns covering 3.5 million vehicles.

The airbag recall covers some of the most popular Honda models, including Civic, Civic Hybrid and Accord sedans manufactured between 2001 and 2004, as well as the CR-V and Pilot. The Acura CL and TL were also included.

Toyota, meanwhile, found itself correcting issues with accelerator pedals and floor mats associated with the company's unintended acceleration woes. Toyota had found itself leading the largest number of recalled vehicles for two consecutive years prior to 2011.

Airbag recall forces Honda past Toyota in total recalls for 2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honda expands airbag recall again, still searching for 640 airbags

Jeff Sabatini — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Recalls, Safety

Honda is still looking for a few needles in its haystack of 2001-2003 models, as it expands a recall that dates back to 2008. The recall concerns defective driver's airbag inflators, and it's a serious issue, one that has already resulted in a dozen injuries and at least one death.

The recall covers the 2001 and 2002 Accord, 2001 to 2003 Civic, 2001 to 2003 Odyssey, 2002 and 2003 CR-V, 2003 Pilot, 2002 and 2003 Acura 3.2 TL and 2003 Acura 3.2 CL. This latest expansion of the recall is necessary because Honda still hasn't found all the defective parts, with 640 of the inflators still unaccounted for. Some were sold as service parts, meaning that their whereabouts cannot be easily traced.

"Because Honda is unable to determine the specific vehicles that may have received the affected service parts through existing information," said Honda's statement, "Honda will inspect an additional approximately 603,000 vehicles and replace those parts as necessary."

Honda will be contacting affected owners by mail later in the month, and the information will also be available on the Honda and Acura websites at www.recalls.honda.com and www.recalls.acura.com. The automaker's official press release is available after the jump.

Continue reading Honda expands airbag recall again, still searching for 640 airbags

Honda expands airbag recall again, still searching for 640 airbags originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honda adding 833,000 vehicles to airbag recall

Chris Shunk — Tue, 03 May 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Acura, Honda

Honda has recalled hundreds of thousands of 2001-2003 Honda and Acura models for airbag issues since 2008, and now the Japanese automaker is re-recalling those vehicles. Honda is inspecting 833,000 vehicles for airbags that deploy with too much pressure, which could lead to metal fragments passing through the airbag cushion material. This defect has resulted in 12 injuries and one death since 2010.

The recall covers vehicles that have already been serviced, as Honda is searching for 2,430 defective airbag inflator parts that were used during the original repair. Since Honda cannot determine which vehicles received the defective part, the Japanese automaker is re-recalling all 833,000 vehicles.

Among the 833,000 vehicles affected by the recalls are the 2001-2002 Accord and Civic, the 2002 Odyssey and 2002-2003 CR-V. Acura models affected are certain 2002-2003 TL sedans and 2003 CL coupes.

This latest news means that Honda has recalled over 1.6 million vehicles for this issue since 2008. Honda recalled 440,000 vehicles in 2009 and another 379,000 in 2010. The automaker's official press release is available after the jump.

Continue reading Honda adding 833,000 vehicles to airbag recall

Honda adding 833,000 vehicles to airbag recall originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 May 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford F-150 airbag recall balloons by 1.2M units

Chris Shunk — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Ford

Back in February, we told you about the recall of 150,000 Ford F-150 models due to driver-side airbags that went off on their own right after starting the vehicle. At the time, Ford said the recall was limited to 150,000 units out of the 1.3 million vehicles being investigated due to the fact that the problem only surfaced on vehicles built on the first shift at the automaker's Norfolk, Virginia plant.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced on its website that the recall has now been extended to include 1.2 million 2004-2006 model year F-150 models, along with its luxury cousin, the Lincoln Mark LT. NHTSA says it has received 238 instances of inadvertent deployment and 77 total injuries.

NHTSA indicates that the airbag issue stems from a clockspring jumper wire that could come in contact with the airbag lower horn plate. The friction between the wire and the horn plate could result in chafing, potentially shorting the circuit. And when that happens, an unsuspecting F-150 owner could receive an airbag surprise.

To fix the problem, owners of the affected vehicles will be able to head to the nearest Ford or Lincoln dealer for a free repair. Technicians will install a new clockspring jumper with a protective mesh cover. Hit the jump to read over the NHTSA press release.

[Source: NHTSA via Pickuptrucks.com]

Continue reading Ford F-150 airbag recall balloons by 1.2M units

Ford F-150 airbag recall balloons by 1.2M units originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Apr 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Infiniti recalls 134,000 G35 coupes and sedans due to airbag issue

Steven J. Ewing — Tue, 04 May 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Sedan, Recalls, Safety, Infiniti, Luxury

Being involved in a car accident is scary stuff. Being involved in a car accident and not having your airbags deploy is even scarier. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, just over 134,000 Infiniti G35 coupes and sedans sold in the mid-2000s are affected by a problem in which wire harnesses for the airbags may wear down to the point of not functioning properly, meaning that the airbags may not deploy in a crash.

Infiniti is recalling 2005-06 model year G35 sedans and 2005-07 model year G35 coupes sold around the world due to this problem. The automaker has not yet notified the Feds of how the faulty wire harnesses will be fixed, but the official recall is now being announced, just two weeks after the potential problem was reported to NHTSA. So far, no crashes or injuries have been reported due to this issue, and Infiniti's parent company, Nissan, is hard at work developing a solution for this potentially dangerous situation.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req'd]

Infiniti recalls 134,000 G35 coupes and sedans due to airbag issue originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 May 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honda extends airbag shrapnel recall to 378,758 U.S vehicles

Chris Shunk — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:27:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Honda

We were kinda hoping that 2010 would be the year of auto industry recovery, but instead it's becoming increasingly obvious that it is turning into Year Of The Recall. This time, Honda is up to bat with another 378,758 recalls for an apparent airbag inflator issue. The nearly 400,000 units have been added to the already announced 440,000 vehicles red tagged back in August. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that certain airbags in the affected vehicles can deploy so violently that the inflator will rupture. When the bag is deployed, NHTSA reports that metal shards from the excessive explosion could act like shrapnel, shoot through the bag and possibly injure vehicle occupants. Ouchie.

Honda said in a statement on the automaker's website that there were 12 reported incidents of this happening, with one fatality. The original recall back in November, 2008 was for only 4,000 2001 Accords and Civics but in July, 2009 Honda added more makes of the 2001 and 2002 Accord, Civic and some 2002 Acura TL models. The newly updated list includes 2001 and 2002 Accord, Civic, Odyssey, CR-V, and selected 2002 Acura TL vehicles.

NHTSA announced that it was investigating the timing of the Honda airbag recall back in November. The government agency was curious as to why the Japanese automaker needed eight months to add an additional 440,000 vehicles. Hit the jump to read over the Honda press release, which includes directions for owners of affected vehicles.

[Source: Honda]

Continue reading Honda extends airbag shrapnel recall to 378,758 U.S vehicles

Honda extends airbag shrapnel recall to 378,758 U.S vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fed reportedly expanding investigation into Ford F-150 airbags

Chris Shunk — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Ford

Back in October, the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminstration announced a Ford F-150 airbag investigation. There were 530,000 2005 model year F-150s involved in the investigation before Halloween, but now the number has swelled to 1.56 million trucks spanning the 2004-2006 model years. The government agency has also upgraded the investigation to an engineering analysis - one step closer to a recall.

The F-150 airbags are being investigated because the administration has reportedly received some 300 complaints of airbags that deployed without an accident. An earlier report revealed that the majority of the premature airbag deployments happened at ignition or directly after ignition - a really lousy wake up call first thing in the morning. Of the 300 complaints, there were 60 injuries, including cuts and bruises and two people reported being knocked unconscious as a result of the airbag deployment.

Ford, which is reportedly cooperating with the federal government in the investigation, predictably doesn't want to speculate as to whether the investigation will lead to a full-blown recall.

[Source: Reuters]

Fed reportedly expanding investigation into Ford F-150 airbags originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2009 Impala recalled over faulty airbags

Chris Tutor — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:33:00 EST

Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Chevrolet

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says passenger airbags in some 2009 Chevrolet Impalas may have a potentially deadly flaw. Not only could the devices fail to inflate in a crash, but the inflator tube could rupture and hurl pieces of it at passengers. Sounds pretty bad, but there is good news for most Impala owners. According to NHTSA, the recall will only affect 79 Impalas, and not all of them will need replacement. Airbags found to be faulty will be completely replaced under the recall campaign at GM service centers.

Notices will be mailed out sometime this month to Impala owners who need to have their vehicles inspected. You can read the entire NHTSA description here.

[Source: Inside Line]

2009 Impala recalled over faulty airbags originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Recall Watch: Nissan recalling 16,000 SUVs for airbag issue

Damon Lavrinc — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:32:00 EST

Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Crossover, Infiniti, Nissan

As every automaker knows, new models aren't without their growing pains. Aside from all the other issues to contend with while launching a new vehicle, there's always the possibility that something is going to go amiss after deliveries begin. Such is the case with Nissan, who just informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that 11,511 2009 Nissan Muranos and 4,854 2009 Infiniti EX35s have to be recalled to fix a problem with the passenger airbag. While we may fondly look back to the days when such issues could be resolved with some chicken wire and electrical tape, the airbag problem should be an easy fix since it's due to incorrectly programmed software. We're assuming it won't be more than some kind of reflash of the computer, but for those of you rolling in one Nissanfiniti's new 'utes, you might want to give your dealer a call so the person to your right has a better chance of leaving unscathed if the unthinkable happens.

Also, check out our recently published reviews of both the 2009 Nissan Murano and 2008 Infiniti EX35.

Gallery: 2009 Nissan Murano

Gallery: 2008 Infiniti EX35

[Source: Detroit News]

Recall Watch: Nissan recalling 16,000 SUVs for airbag issue originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Small Recall: 160 Toyota Camry Solara Coupes called back

Frank Filipponio — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 15:19:00 EST

Filed under: Recalls, Toyota

There's no easy way to say this. Toyota isn't perfect. We know what you're thinking. Surely we jest (Prepare for heavy sarcasm - Ed.). Everybody in the whole wide world knows that Toyota can do no wrong. We elitist journalists proclaim their magnificence at every opportunity and are quick to defend them when there is even a suggestion of something going amiss. Conversely we never miss an opportunity to criticize the domestics for their shoddy workmanship, misguided management, and lackluster performance. So how could we possibly post something as shocking as a Toyota recall? Simple. It is newsworthy, just like all the other articles we run. Including all the ones about Japanese recalls. Look 'em up.

Sorry to editorialize when trying to point out that we don't editorialize in our story selection, but hopefully you get the point. Readers pick up on elements of different stories and add their own biases and predispositions to our own, and often turn a perfectly innocent post into a raging debate on the relative merits of imports vs. domestics, cars vs. trucks, blue vs. red, boxers vs. briefs, whatever. Anyway, here's the story.

Toyota is recalling 160 MY 2007 Camry Solara coupes for a potential side airbag problem. It is believed that a tether may have been twisted when installed in the A-pillars. The thinking is that portion of the curtain bag might not deploy as intended because of the twisted tether. No accidents or injuries have been reported in regards to this issue, but Toyota is recalling them to fix it anyway. It says dealers can inspect and reroute the strap in about 30 minutes. Full details after the jump.

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading Small Recall: 160 Toyota Camry Solara Coupes called back

Small Recall: 160 Toyota Camry Solara Coupes called back originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Dec 2006 15:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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