Unchecked Airbag Issue May Cause Unsafe Deployment
Honda recently revealed a significant recall for nearly all of its automobiles, including Acura variants, due to a defective front passenger seat airbag sensor that has the potential to cause severe harm to young children or individuals of smaller stature.
According to a safety recall report released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a capacitor in the circuit board of the front passenger seat weight sensor may develop cracks. This could result in an internal short circuit, causing the front passenger airbags to deploy even when they are meant to be suppressed for smaller individuals and children.Due to a potential fault in the system, the weight sensor may not accurately register the weight of the front passenger, triggering the airbags unnecessarily. This could increase the risk of injury for smaller occupants who may not need the full force of the airbag deployment.If left unaddressed, this issue could pose a serious safety hazard for passengers, especially children. As such, it is important for all affected vehicles to be inspected and repaired as soon as possible.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is currently working with the manufacturer to devise a suitable solution and ensure that all impacted vehicles are fixed promptly. In the meantime, owners of possibly affected vehicles are advised to exercise caution and refrain from placing smaller occupants in the front passenger seat until the issue has been resolved.
The Japanese car manufacturer has issued a recall for 750,114 vehicles from 19 different models under the two brands, which includes the fierce-looking FK8 generation of the Honda Civic Type R.
Civic, Jazz, and AccordThe extensive roster of items subject to recall comprises of a number of Honda vehicle models, namely the Civic, Jazz, and Accord.
In regards to the Acura vehicles that have been recalled, the inventory includes:
Surprisingly, the safety issue does not affect the former Acura ILX, which shared a platform with the Honda Civic before it was discontinued.
Up until now, Honda has recorded 3,834 complaints of warranty issues from purchasers of these specific models. Fortunately, there have been no reported injuries or fatalities connected to this matter, according to the company.
According to the report, a supplier made a modification to the base material used in the circuit board as a result of a “natural disaster” that occurred at another supplier’s manufacturing plant. However, the suitability of this new base material for its intended purpose was not confirmed, resulting in added stress on the circuit board. As a result, owners of affected units may experience an illuminated SRS warning light and a deactivated passenger airbag indicator.
Honda is implementing a program to replace the flawed seat weight sensor with a functional component at no cost, and will also provide reimbursement for any previous repairs related to this concern. Beginning March 18, notifications of the recall will be sent out to owners by the company.