Nationwide Honda Airbag Recall Announced at Congressional Hearing
Honda North America Executive Vice President Rick Schostek, who announced a nationwide Honda airbag recall today
While Japanese airbag manufacturing company Takata continues to defy the NHTSA’s mandated nationwide recall, instead insisting that recalls are only needed in high-humidity areas where the climate makes their defective driver-side airbags more likely to explode, Honda has taken it upon itself to fix the issue. Speaking before the US House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Honda North America Executive Vice President Rick Schostek announced today that the automaker would be expanding its current regional safety campaign to a full-blown nationwide Honda airbag recall.
Because Takata has claimed that it cannot supply all of the replacement airbags needed for a nationwide recall, Honda will be working with additional suppliers to meet the needs of affected Honda drivers. The automaker also announced today that it would be joining an industry-wide third party research effort to share test results and vital information with all of the car companies that used faulty Takata airbags in their early 2000s models, including BMW, Chrysler, Ford, GM, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, and Toyota.
This 2005 Accord is one of the vehicles that will be impacted by the nationwide Honda airbag recall
“Our entire company is operating with the greatest energy and focus to quickly address our customers’ needs and concerns,” said Schostek, when reading from his prepared remarks at the congressional hearing. “In the days ahead, with every action of our company, we are dedicating ourselves to honor the relationship we have with our customers”
“We understand the urgency of the current situation and we have been taking proactive steps to address the needs of our customers,” Schostek added. “In addition to the required first class mail notification, we have made hundreds of thousands of phone calls, used overnight mail delivery and routinely sent letters in both English and Spanish. We have also hired a search firm to help us locate hard-to-find customers in some circumstances. For customers whose vehicles cannot be immediately repaired, Honda has instructed our dealers to provide loaner or rental vehicles at no cost.”
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