Montana airbag safety alert

Montana Honda and Acura Owners Urged to Check Air Bag Safety

 

HELENA - Attorney General Tim Fox and his Office of Consumer Protection at the Montana Department of Justice want to alert Montanans to an urgent safety issue reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Honda concerning an air bag defect in some vehicles. 
 
According to new test data, some Takata air bag inflators in certain 2001-2003 Hondas and Acuras show as high as a 50 percent chance of ruptures during air bag deployment in a crash.  These models join a long list of vehicles that have previously been identified as having dangerously defective Takata air bag inflators.  NHTSA cautioned people not to drive these vehicles unless they are going straight to a dealer to have them repaired immediately, free of charge.
 


The affected vehicles are:
 
  • 2001-2002 Honda Civic
  • 2001-2002 Honda Accord
  • 2002-2003 Acura TL
  • 2002 Honda CR-V
  • 2002 Honda Odyssey
  • 2003 Acura CL
  • 2003 Honda Pilot
 
Attorney General Tim Fox said, “The Takata air bag inflator recall has been one of the largest auto safety recalls in American history.  Even if Montana motorists have not received a notice of recall, or have not seen their vehicle listed in a media report, I encourage them to visit the Recalls page on NHTSA’s SaferCar.gov  website and verify that their vehicle has not been identified as having this issue.”
 
The vehicles in question were recalled between 2008 and 2011. Honda has reported that more than 70 percent of this higher-risk population of vehicles has already been repaired, but approximately 313,000 vehicles with this very dangerous defect remain unrepaired. The risk posed by the airbag inflators in these vehicles is grave, and it is critical they be repaired now to avoid more deaths and serious injuries.
 

NEXT STEPS:

Drivers should visit SaferCar.gov and enter their VIN number to check whether their vehicle is affected, or contact their local dealer.  If it is affected, they should have the vehicle repaired immediately for free at an authorized dealer.

 
Montana consumers who have questions may call NHTSA at 1-(888)-327-4236 or Honda’s recall number at 1-(888) 234-2138.  They may also call the Office of Consumer Protection at the Montana Department of Justice at 1-(800)-481-6896 toll-free within the state, or send an email to contactocp@mt.gov.

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