NHTSA re-recalls 2.1M vehicles to fix airbag glitch

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced a follow-up recall for more than 2.1 million decade-old vehicles manufactured by Chrysler, Honda and Toyota.
The vehicles were already listed in previous recall campaigns to fix a problem with TRW-sourced electronic components, blamed for inadvertent airbag deployment in the absence of a crash.

After monitoring incoming data from consumers and automakers, the agency has concluded that the original fix was insufficient to fully resolve the problem. At least 40 vehicles have experienced improper airbag deployment after receiving the original remedy.

The situation is considered particularly serious because approximately a million of the Toyota and Honda vehicles were built with defective Takata airbag inflators, which could rupture and cause shrapnel injuries during deployment.

“This is unfortunately a complicated issue for consumers, who may have to return to their dealer more than once,” said NHTSA administrator Mark Rosekind. “But this is an urgent safety issue, and all consumers with vehicles covered by the previous recalls should have that remedy installed.”

Affected vehicles include the Acura MDX, Dodge Viper, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Liberty, Honda Odyssey, Pontiac Vibe, and the Toyota Corolla, Matrix and Avalon.