Is My Airbag Safe Honda?

To find out if your vehicle is subject to any recalls, go to NHTSA.gov/recalls. Safe automobiles save lives. All recalled air bags will be replaced at no cost in order to safeguard the public. Not just one air bag type, but a number of air bag kinds manufactured by the Takata corporation are included in the recalls.

Honda airbags are they safe?

Honda has verified that Takata-supplied driver’s front airbag inflator ruptures in the United States have resulted in 16 fatalities and more than 200 injuries. All of these incidents took place in cars that have been recalled. Honda offers its profound apologies to everyone affected by this problem and sends its condolences to the families of those who have lost dear ones.

The explosion of Takata airbag inflators has also been linked to three fatalities in the United States among two other automakers besides Honda. 19 fatalities have so occurred in the business as a whole in the United States.

Honda has acknowledged that ruptures of single-stage Takata driver’s front airbag inflators, a distinct kind of inflator that was never used in Honda or Acura vehicles in the United States, are to blame for seven deaths in Malaysia, one in Brazil, and one in Mexico.

Honda Australia is also looking into a possible Australian rupture that might have caused to the driver’s demise. There hasn’t been a formal decision made about the incident.

Which models of Honda have airbag recalls?

The ammonium nitrate chemical used to make the airbags made them prone to exploding when deployed, potentially shooting flaming debris into the passengers. The inflators have caused 24 fatalities and hundreds of injuries worldwide.

According to Honda, after the most recent recall is complete, 22.6 million inflators in around 12.9 million vehicles will have been recalled or otherwise addressed.

Honda vehicles from 2001 to 2012, 2010 to 2015 Crosstour, 2001 to 2011 Civic, 2002 to 2011 CR-V, 2011 to 2015 CR-Z, 2003 to 2011 Element, 2007 to 2014 Fit, 2010 to 2014 Insight, 2002 to 2004 Odyssey, 2003 to 2015 Pilot, and 2006 to 2014 Ridgeline are among those affected. The 2003 3.2CL, 2013 ILX, 2003–2006 MDX, 2015 RDX, 2005–2012 RL, 2002–2003 3.2TL, 2009–2014 TL, 2009–2014 TSX, and 2010–2013 ZDX are examples of Acura vehicles.

After paying out more than $1 billion in fines for the largest auto safety recall in American history, scandal-plagued airbag manufacturer Takata Corp. filed for bankruptcy in Delaware and Japan late on Sunday, June 25.

Starting around the middle of August 2019, owners of the recalled vehicles should begin receiving mail-out notices.

Does Honda offer free airbag replacements?

IMPORTANT. You or your passengers risk death or serious injury as a result of this safety flaw. At accredited Acura and Honda dealers, all safety recall repairs are complimentary.

How long are airbags good for?

The majority of people rarely consider airbags until they are quite literally in their face. They remain undetected, making it simple to miss them. But does “out of sight, out of mind” apply to these life-saving security measures? Do airbags need to be inspected like other crucial car parts? What about substitution? Is there a stamp with an expiration date hidden deep inside your steering wheel?

You can presume that your airbags won’t ever need to be replaced if your vehicle is recent. Modern airbags are built to last the lifetime of the car and have no expiration date.

Airbags were formerly considered a curiosity even though they are now a standard feature in all new vehicles. They were cutting-edge technology in the 1970s. Auto manufacturers at the time typically advised customers to get their airbags inspected every few years because they were unsure of how long an airbag could endure.

Additionally, the airbag igniter was sealed with plastic by several international automakers. Prior to 2002, several foreign manufacturers advised automobile owners to replace their airbags every 15 years since the plastic could deteriorate over time. This was rarely an issue because glass sealing technology, which prevents moisture from reaching the igniter, was employed by the majority of automobile manufacturers worldwide rather than plastic.

In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has noted the use of airbags in crashes that are 30 years old.

Late in the 1980s, federal authorities began mandating that airbags be added to vehicles as a standard feature by all automakers. Federal laws made twin airbags a requirement for all new vehicles in 1998.

Modern cars come with self-diagnostic systems, often known as SRS, that automatically check the safety systems of the automobile when the engine is turned on. Since airbags are a component of SRS, every time you start your automobile, the computer does an airbag function diagnostic. Most automobiles include a little light that flashes throughout the SRS diagnostic and goes off as soon as the system is finished. You might have a problem if the SRS light on your car doesn’t turn on or won’t turn off. It is a good idea to have your car looked at if the diagnostic light appears to be malfunctioning.

Automobile manufacturers had to rely on theory when airbags were still an emerging technology. They could only guess as to the longevity and dependability of airbags as there was no actual data to base their conclusions on. However, airbag technology is widely used today and has been for many years. You can count on your airbag to keep you safe for many kilometers if your car is relatively new.

Can an airbag unexpectedly inflate?

Air bags have helped to reduce the number of people who die in frontal collisions.

One of a car’s most crucial safety elements when it operates correctly is its air bags. A frontal air bag can protect a passenger by securing her in place in addition to preventing her from colliding with the steering wheel or dashboard. Particularly in side impact collisions, side air bags can shield a passenger’s head and chest from injury. Rollover air bags are made to continue to inflate for some time after impact to help keep a passenger inside the car in the event of a rollover. When air bags malfunction, they may be to blame for fatalities or very serious injuries. Most defective air bag cases belong to one of the following categories:

  • Airbags might not inflate. Although air bags are not intended to deploy in every collision, it is crucial for them to do so when the impact forces are severe enough. Whether or whether a passenger is wearing a seat belt, they could sustain catastrophic injuries in a crash if a frontal or side air bag does not activate.
  • Air bags could unintentionally open. When a car hits a curb or even a pothole, an air bag may sometimes inflate. This unintentional or unintentional deployment has the potential to seriously harm an occupant as well as cause the driver to lose control of the car and crash.
  • When air bags inflate, they could be too forceful. An air bag can hurt, blind, or even kill a passenger if it strikes him or her before it has time to fully deploy.
  • not having side airbags. The federal government does not mandate side air bags or rollover airbags. As a result, manufacturers have chosen to omit them from some versions. The cost-cutting tactic of not installing side air bags or rollover air bags can have disastrous effects in the event of an accident.
  • Air bags might not deploy immediately. An occupant may get worse injuries as a result of an air bag that deploys later than it should have if it hadn’t deployed at all. Late deployment is suggested by a bent steering wheel or occupant contact marks on the wheel or dash.

Chemical and friction burns, hearing loss, traumatic head and neck injuries, and shattered bones are all frequent side effects of air bag use. Children and smaller adults can be particularly at risk from defective airbags. A faulty air bag is more likely to cause injuries to small people.

If any of the following situations exist, you might have a malfunctioning air bag case:

What does a Honda airbag cost?

There is little doubt that criminals have a large financial incentive. According to Honda, the typical airbag for a 2017 Honda Accord costs roughly $989.

According to William Ross, deputy director of the federal government’s National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, which looks into fake parts, black market airbags are typically offered online for $200 to $300.

According to Ross, buyers frequently include individuals who fix cars at home to save money or as a side hustle.

According to William Hawkins, a manager of a repair facility in Annapolis, Maryland, and a board member of the Washington Metropolitan Auto Body Association, the cost of having your airbag replaced after it has deployed in a crash can rise to between $2,000 and $3,000 at a dealership or reputable repair facility.

When an illegal business installs a black market airbag but submits a claim for the full cost of a new one, insurance companies may become the victims of fraud.

Many insurance providers either declined to comment on the story or did not reply to requests for comment.

The Civic airbag of a resident of Montclair, California, named Avia-Lopez was stolen. “The insurance told me that it wasn’t the first time they had seen itthat they had been getting it a lot,” recalls Avia-Lopez.

Ross claims that although the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center lacks data on airbag theft, it is “knowing that’s happening.” According to him, the organization’s black market airbag operations are mostly focused on stopping the importation of replica components from China into the United States.

According to Ross, illegal airbags don’t frequently “infiltrate the legal supply chain of dealerships and honorable repair businesses.” He claims that they frequently end up being sold on shady websites instead. He claims that although the group has collaborated extensively with eBay and Amazon to implement policies prohibiting illegal airbags, it is hard to completely eradicate the practice.

Ross believes it’s challenging to state with certainty whether or not individuals have died as a result of black market airbags failing to function as intended because such tests aren’t frequently carried out after the fact to determine whether an airbag was legitimately purchased.

When was the Honda model recalled?

Certain 2019-2020 Acura MDX, MDX Sport Hybrid, RDX, TLX, Honda Accord, Civic Hatchback, Insight, 2019 Acura ILX, Honda Accord Hybrid, Civic Coupe, Civic Coupe Si, Civic Sedan, Civic Sedan Si, Civic Type R, Fit, HR-V, Odyssey, Passport, Pilot and Ridgeline, as well as 2018-2019 CR-V models are being recalled by Honda (American Honda Motor Co.).

What triggers an airbag to blow up?

The creation and widespread deployment of airbags in cars has decreased the number of fatalities caused by vehicles. However, the deployment of the bag has resulted in an increase in injuries.

Burns associated with airbag deployment

The majority of burns brought on by airbag deployment in a collision are due to the chemicals in the bag releasing. Sodium azide is commonly used to fill airbags, however sodium hydroxide is also utilized in some automobiles.

Chemical burns

An electrical charge is set off by an automobile accident, which causes the sodium azide or sodium hydroxide inside the bag to explode and turn into nitrogen gas. The bag frequently bursts, and the hot gases injure the driver or other passengers.

A broad-spectrum biocide that is extremely hazardous to people is sodium azide. Sodium hydroxide is a caustic substance that can burn the eyes, the skin, and even cause hair loss. You should get medical help if you’ve been exposed to either chemical because it’s harmful. CDC links for each of these substances are provided below: