This document provides customers and other stakeholders with current, factual information on the Takata airbag inflator recall as it pertains to Honda and Acura in the United States. Unless otherwise noted, all information concerns the U.S. market only.
View the fact sheet online.
KEY FACTS FOR OWNERS OF UNREPAIRED VEHICLES
- Defective airbags can KILL or seriously injure you or your passengers.
- Owners of affected vehicles should immediately schedule a FREE repair at authorized Acura and Honda dealers.
- Honda has replacement parts for ALL recalled Acura and Honda models.
- FREE rental car available to the vehicle owner for the day of the recall repair.
TAKATA DATA MANIPULATION AND GUILTY PLEA FOR WIRE FRAUD
- In spring 2015, Honda became aware of evidence that Takata had falsified and manipulated test data for certain airbag inflators. Honda expects its suppliers to act with integrity at all times and we remain deeply troubled by this behavior by one of our suppliers.
- In response to concerns about the performance and quality of Takata’s airbag inflators, Honda took the following actions:
- On a global basis, no new Honda and Acura models currently under development will be equipped with a front driver or passenger Takata airbag inflator. (As of late 2016, no new Honda or Acura vehicles produced for sale in the U.S. featured Takata airbag inflators.)
- No replacement inflators now being used to repair Honda and Acura vehicles are supplied by Takata. All replacement inflators are now manufactured by alternative suppliers.
- At Honda’s request, Takata retained the services of a third party to conduct a thorough audit of all Takata dual stage frontal airbag inflator test data and related information that was supplied to Honda. The first phase of this audit was completed in September 2016 and phase two is now underway.
- On January 13, 2017, Takata Corporation pled guilty to criminal wire fraud charges brought by the United States Department of Justice and agreed to pay a total of $1 billion stemming from the company’s fraudulent conduct in relation to sales of defective airbag inflators to multiple automakers, including Honda.
Honda is deeply saddened by the harm Takata’s wrongdoing has caused to our customers. Honda remains focused on our urgent efforts to prevent additional injuries from the rupture of Takata airbag inflators. We urge owners of affected vehicles to complete the required recall repairs immediately. These repairs are free at all authorized Honda and Acura dealerships throughout the country.
TOTAL VEHICLES RECALLED
Approximately 11.4 million Honda and Acura vehicles in the U.S. are subject to a recall or Safety Improvement Campaign related to Takata airbag inflator ruptures. Because certain, specific vehicles are subject to more than one recall (for example, both a driver and passenger airbag inflator recall) approximately 17.8 million total Takata airbag inflators have been recalled.
“ALPHA” INFLATORS AT HIGH RISK
As Honda continues its extensive and unprecedented efforts to replace defective Takata airbag inflators in Honda and Acura vehicles, the company, along with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), is focusing on a subset of these inflators that are especially worrisome. These so-called “Alpha” inflators, found in certain 2001 – 2003 Honda and Acura models, have an alarming rupture rate of as high as 50 percent, according NHTSA and Takata. In addition to original Takata manufacturing defects, which prompted the first inflator recalls in 2008 and 2009, the passage of time and exposure to hot and humid conditions makes these older inflators particularly vulnerable to ruptures, which can cause serious injury or death to vehicle occupants.
Summary of 2001-2003 vehicles that may be equipped with recalled Takata PSDI “Alpha” driver airbag inflators (Vehicle owners should check by VIN):
- 2001-2002 Honda Accord
- 2001-2002 Honda Civic
- 2002 Honda CR-V
- 2002 Honda Odyssey
- 2003 Honda Pilot
- 2002-2003 Acura 3.2TL
- 2003 Acura 3.2CL
High resolution photographs of these specific models, including current images of the 2002 Civic and 2001 Accord at a Honda Service Center, are available for download by media here: http://www.hondanews.com/channels/psdi-recall-models/photos
INJURIES & DEATHS
Honda has confirmed 11 deaths and more than 180 injuries in the U.S. related to ruptures of driver’s front airbag inflators supplied by Takata. All of these events occurred in vehicles now covered by recalls. Honda sincerely apologizes to all individuals impacted by this issue, and extends our deepest, heartfelt sympathies to the families of those who have lost loved ones.
Date of CrashLocation of Crash:
- 5/27/09 – Oklahoma
- 12/24/09 – Virginia
- 9/3/13 – California
- 9/7/14 – California
- 9/29/14 – Florida
- 1/18/15 – Texas
- 4/5/15 – Louisiana
- 7/22/15 – Pennsylvania
- 3/31/16 – Texas
- 6/18/16 – Florida
- 9/30/16 – California
In addition, an automaker other than Honda has experienced a fatality in the U.S. due to the rupture of a Takata airbag inflator. So, the industry as a whole has experienced 12 fatalities in the U.S.
Outside the U.S., Honda has confirmed five deaths in Malaysia related to ruptures of single-stage Takata driver’s front airbag inflators, which are a different type of inflator that was never utilized in Honda or Acura vehicles in the U.S.
DEALER REPAIR & RENTAL POLICY, AND SUPPORT
Authorized Honda and Acura dealerships will make appropriate repairs for free – there is no cost to the customer. If an owner requests alternative transportation for the day of the recall repair, Honda and Acura dealers are authorized to provide a free loaner or rental vehicle.
Dealers may now loan vehicles to teenage drivers, who are generally prohibited from renting or borrowing vehicles due to insurance policies. Honda has also increased associated reimbursement rates to dealers, and empowered them to loan and rent vehicles to registered owners of vehicles for the day of the recall repairs without seeking pre-approval from Honda.
To support dealers, Honda management and field operations staff are in constant communication with dealership principals and employees to ensure they are aware of the latest information and policies concerning the recall, and have the capacity to repair customer vehicles promptly.
RECALL REPAIR COMPLETION RATE
In the past year, Honda and Acura dealers have replaced upwards of 20,000 Takata airbag inflators on a daily basis. This pace of repairs is unprecedented in Honda’s history. In total, approximately 10 million Takata inflators have been replaced. Considering the scale of the recall and the age of the vehicles involved, Honda is making steady progress.
- Repair Completion Rate as of 8/18/2017
- National61.9%
- High Absolute Humidity (HAH) Zone*60.1%
To compare this completion rate with other industry recalls, Honda analyzed 14 unrelated automotive recall campaigns, with a combined volume of more than eight million vehicles. While Honda found completion rates of up to 80 percent for vehicles in the first year of ownership, the company also found that the completion percentage declines with each passing year, to around 33 percent in the 9th and 10th year of ownership. A significant number of vehicles affected by the Takata airbag inflator recalls are now or soon to be more than 15 years old.
*Honda’s HAH zone is broader than the area originally identified by NHTSA and includes: Florida; Hawaii; Georgia; Alabama; Louisiana; Mississippi; Texas; South Carolina; California; North Carolina; Arkansas; Saipan; American Samoa; the U.S. Virgin Islands; and Puerto Rico.
PARTS SUPPLY OUTLOOK
Starting in late 2014, Honda worked to secure an increasing supply of replacement inflators from alternative suppliers: Daicel, Autoliv and TRW. At this time, we are only replacing recalled inflators using inflators from these other suppliers, and Honda has no replacement inflators on backorder for any of the models currently subject to recall. Thus, there should be no significant parts-related delay for any vehicle owner seeking repair.
ONGOING CUSTOMER NOTIFICATION EFFORTS
In total, Honda has made over 135 million individual owner outreach attempts related to Takata airbag inflator recalls thus far, and the effort continues. Honda has distributed at least one mailed notification letter, and in many cases several, to each and every registered owner of affected Honda and Acura vehicles for which actionable information exists in state registration records and other sources, including vehicles with salvage titles.
Honda pulls current addresses from state registration records for registered owners each and every time we send a new batch of recall notification letters. In total, Honda has distributed more than 90 million mailed notices pursuant to Takata airbag inflator recalls since 2008.
We have supplemented mailed notifications with the following actions:
CENTRALIZED WEB RESOURCE
Honda established a dedicated website (http://hondaairbaginfo.com/) for affected owners and stakeholders to view information, news and updates concerning the recall. A prominent display ad has been placed on Honda.com, directing visitors to the new site.
PHONE CALLS
Full page ads in English and Spanish newspapers are designed to grab readers’ attention and urge them to get their vehicles repaired.
A recall message was displayed on the stadium video board at the 2016 Honda Battle of the Bands, an event attended by63,000+ in Atlanta, Georgia.
A recall message was displayed on the video boards at multiple Civic Tour music events, including this one in Houston, TX on 9/29/2016.
- Honda has more than doubled the size of its Customer Relations team, which has made millions of direct and automated phone calls to affected owners. To encourage recall repair, the phone calls are direct and clear about the risk of injury and death associated with inflator ruptures.
- Phone calls have proven to be among the most effective means of driving recall repair completion, and it is now Honda’s practice to use automated calls to alert customers in advance of mailed notifications.
- Honda notifies potentially affected customers via SMS and MMS messages where a valid mobile phone number can be linked to the owner of a recalled vehicle. We have sent more than 1 million text messages to owners of affected vehicles since December 2015.
- Honda has enlisted the support of over 1,100 Acura and Honda dealers in the U.S. to reach out to owners of unrepaired “Alpha” vehicles in their local communities through their Business Development Centers (BDC). With their knowledge of the local communities and a local phone number to call from, the BDCs are often able to engage with owners that Honda has been unable to reach by other means.
TARGETED ADVERTISING – CALL TO ACTION
- In March 2015, Honda conducted a multi-million dollar advertising campaign in Spanish and English that included full-page, color advertisements in more than 120 newspapers, and 30-second radio announcements in more than 110 markets. The campaign targeted 9 southern states that have been identified as representing the greatest risk to affected owners.
- In October 2015, Honda ran a subsequent round of print, digital and radio advertising in select markets. In February 2016, Honda targeted Florida’s Miami-Dade and Broward counties with a similar campaign.
- For two consecutive years at the 2016 and 2017 Honda Battle of the Bands in Atlanta, Georgia, Honda displayed a recall notification message on the stadium’s main video screens and on monitors throughout the stadium with more than 60,000 fans in attendance each year. The message also appeared on the event’s livestream webcast. Honda displayed the same safety message during the livestream webcast of the 2016 and 2017 Honda Campus All-Star Challenge National Championship Tournaments.
- Honda also displayed a recall notification message on arena video boards at eight stops during the 2016 Civic Tour, highlighting this important issue to over 70,000 young music fans.
SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT
Honda has run sponsored, customized Facebook posts that target specific individuals who own affected vehicles. The posts mention the make and model of the vehicle in question. To implement the campaign, Honda leveraged Facebook’s Custom Audiences feature, which provides the ability to target a brand’s first party data on the Facebook platform. To reach specific owners of affected vehicles, encrypted email addresses associated with recalled VINs are matched to Facebook UserIDs. When a customer logs into Facebook, they are presented with a custom message regarding the recall.
Honda Customer Service is using social media, including Twitter and Facebook, to respond to the concerns of customers affected by Takata airbag inflator recalls.
Honda’s Customer Service Twitter account (@HondaCustSvc) changed its banner image to raise awareness of Takata airbag inflator recalls, and pinned a Tweet explaining how to quickly check a vehicle for open recalls online. In addition to responding to customer concerns regarding the airbag inflator recall, Customer Service social media staff seek to identify Honda & Acura customers that are engaged in unrelated discussions online to encourage them to check their vehicles for open recalls.
EMPLOYEES’ FRIENDS & FAMILY CAMPAIGN
An idea by a group of Honda associates (employees) has become a campaign that now provides all of Honda’s U.S. associates (nearly 30,000) with materials and information to help them raise awareness among their own friends and family – and pass the word to others. Materials include social media messaging, business cards directed at customers who own vehicles potentially affected by the recalls and a visual guide with information on Alpha models. This grassroots campaign has resulted in a number of repairs to date.
INDUSTRY & B2B ENGAGEMENT
Honda has been working with CARFAX – the most comprehensive vehicle history database available in North America – to improve recall efforts and add open recall alerts to the CARFAX history for affected vehicles.
Honda purchased over 80,000 airbag modules containing recalled airbag inflators from salvage yards, preventing them from being reinstalled in vehicles.
Honda has transformed Parts & Service trucks into rolling billboards. The trucks cover more than 100,000 miles per day, exposing the issue to drivers across the country.
Honda associates are going door-to-door in the effort to reach owners of older vehicles with recalled high risk “Alpha” airbag inflators.
- Honda is currently engaging the auto insurance industry to explore opportunities to raise awareness of the recall among shared customers.
- Millions of older-model Honda and Acura vehicles are brought to independent repair facilities (IRF), rather than authorized dealers, for mechanical repairs. Honda has provided posters and call-to-action letters to more than 160,000 IRFs. In addition, Honda has run advertisements and published videos in IRF industry publications and newsletters encouraging IRF employees to check customer VINs and encourage recall completion.
- Honda is working with CCC Information Services, a leading provider of repair estimate software to collision repair shops in the United States, to automatically provide Takata recall information to body shop employees if a recalled VIN is entered into their system for a collision repair estimate. On average, more than 800 recalled Honda and Acura vehicles are receiving estimates and triggering notifications through this system every day.
UNIQUE EFFORTS
- To prevent the possibility that an affected Takata airbag inflator can ever be used as a replacement part, Honda has been searching salvage yards nationwide to find and secure (purchase) recalled inflators. This voluntary effort has successfully removed over 80,000 inflators from salvage yards, and the effort continues. Honda also has requested that major online auction sites prohibit and stop the sale of affected airbags.
- Honda has applied graphics about the recall to more than 300 American Honda Parts & Service trucks, transforming them into rolling billboards that encourage affected owners to take immediate action. These trucks cover more than 100,000 miles per day, all across the country.
- The HondaLink smartphone app has been updated to alert owners that their registered vehicle is subject to any open recall when they use the app.
- Targeting owners of unrepaired “Alpha” inflators, Honda is now sending teams of Honda representatives to physically knock on owners’ doors to assist them with scheduling recall repairs. Hundreds of additional people have already been hired to continue this effort with the goal of repairing or accounting for 100% of vehicles with “Alpha” inflators.
SUMMARY OF AFFECTED HONDA & ACURA MODELS (CERTAIN SPECIFIC VEHICLES ONLY)
Model Year(s) Model:
- 2001-2012 Honda Accord
- 2001-2011 Honda Civic
- 2001-2011 Honda Civic GC (CNG)
- 2003-2011 Honda Civic Hybrid
- 2002-2011 Honda CR-V
- 2011-2015 Honda CR-Z
- 2003-2011 Honda Element
- 2010-2014 Honda FCX Clarity
- 2007-2014 Honda Fit
- 2010-2014 Honda Insight
- 2002-2004 Honda Odyssey
- 2003-2012 Honda Pilot
- 2006-2014 Honda Ridgeline
- 2010-2011 Honda Accord Crosstour
- 2012 Honda Crosstour
- 2003 Acura 3.2CL
- 2002-2003 Acura 3.2TL
- 2013-2016 Acura ILX (early ’16 production only)
- 2003-2006 Acura MDX
- 2007-2016 Acura RDX (early ’16 production only)
- 2005-2012 Acura RL
- 2009-2012 Acura TSX
- 2009-2014 Acura TL
- 2010-2013 Acura ZDX
About the Author: Frank Piscitelli
As a first-generation Italian in the United States, Frank is no stranger to tough times. His father’s family moved to Cleveland from Italy on May 22, 1958, with a few articles of clothing, some personal items and very little money. His family shared a home with three other related families but happily worked long hours doing jobs that involved physical labor, just to put food on the table. There was the promise of hope and opportunity, which was missing before his family moved here.
