With rumours swirling of major auto industry executives looking themselves in a Detroit hotel room to thrash out details of how to deal with the ever-expanding Takata airbag scandal, Honda - which has been hit harder by the problem than most - has expanded its recall to includes 100,000 European cars including the Stream, Civic Hybrid and Jazz dating back to 2003.
Manufacturing problems at Japanese car parts supplier Takata have led to a spate of airbag malfunctions, with the inflation system being particularly at risk - inflating too fast and at too high temperatures and shattering the while airbag mechanism. The problem has been blamed for five deaths and several injuries globally but Takata itself, in spite of accusations in the New York Times that it knew of the issues well over a decade ago, has refused to shoulder responsibility for global recalls involving millions of vehicles.
The recall has shifted up a gear now with reports of an airbag fitted to a scrapped Japanese-market Toyota actually exploding in the car while it lay in a junk yard. The US NHTSA (National Highway Transportation Safety Administration) has previously ordered Takata to carry out the recall of airbags itself but the company has refused.
US investigators have also had a pop at Chrysler for not being active enough in recalling its cars. "Chrysler still refuses to expand the regional recall to all affected cars and trucks, which is putting Americans at risk and defies common sense", said NHTSA deputy chief David Friedman. "We will determine the next steps and take appropriate action to ensure that Chrysler shares our sense of urgency in the interest of public safety."
It remains to be seen whether the confab between the heads of car makers will have any effect on Takata’s intransigent position but Irish customers concerned over the safety of their airbags are advised to contact their nearest franchised dealer.
