Honda to Recall 164,000 Accords

11/18/96

The Associated Press reported that American Honda Motor Co. announced that it will voluntarily recall 164,139 Accords made in 1995 for potentially faulty airbag control devices. The affected vehicles comprise nearly half of all the 1995 model year Accords the company sold in the U.S.

The faulty devices can trigger the unexpected deployment of airbags, and in some cases airbags have inflated as the result of significant impacts to car suspensions or underbodies. No serious injuries have been reported as a result of the problem, but inflation could cause bruises on the hands, arms, and face of drivers or passengers--or more serious injuries if those involved are improperly seated. Eight drivers have reported that their airbags inflated while they were driving, in spite of the fact that they were neither involved in an accident nor hit anything on the road.

Honda's voluntary recall of the vehicles came after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigated complaints about the unnecessary airbag deployments. Honda said that all the Accords involved in the recall were built in Marysville, Ohio and Sayama, Japan, and that the faulty airbag triggers were not used in any other Accord-based vehicles.

Honda says it will notify owners of the recalled Accords by mail. The company will ask owners to contact their Honda dealer for free replacement of the electronic device. Honda says the it has no estimate of the potential cost of the recall.

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel