Airbag Recall 2019: Honda, Acura Brands Being Recalled To Replace Takata Airbags

Takata Airbag inflators have prompted Honda (HMC) on Friday to recall 1.6 million Honda and Acura vehicles in the United States.

This is the fifth and last phase of a recall which was announced by the National Highway and Transport Safety Administration (NHTSA) in May 2016. The recall is six months ahead of schedule as the company claims it has had a high recall completion rate of 83%.

By the end of the recall, Honda will have recalled 22.6 million inflators in 12.9 million vehicles.

The airbags are prone to erupting and can hurl fiery metal shrapnel at passengers in case of a crash. Honda has asked owners of the affected vehicles to get repairs as soon as possible.

The controversy surrounding the airbag scandal drove Takata into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2017. The Japan-based company was bought by Key Safety Systems for $1.6 billion in April 2018.

There have been at least 24 deaths since March due to the airbags.

Takata had a major scandal in 1995 when seatbelts would trap passengers in their seats. Over 8 million vehicles had to be repaired as a result of the faulty seatbelts.

The announcement comes as Honda has recalled around 4,000 small-cycle motorcycles due to a transmission issue that could lead to a crash or injury. This recall also began on Friday.

The Honda Motor Co. was formally established by Sochiro Honda and Takeo Fujisawa in 1948, and in 1969, the company sold its first car in the U.S. Honda is the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer.