While some of the vehicles added to the recall were built by Honda in the United States, the expansion does not cover any vehicles sold here. Added to the campaign were several million Hondas (reportedly including the subcompact Fit) sold in Japan and just under 300,000 cars sold under Toyota’s kei car brand, Daihatsu.
This comes on the heels of announcements by Nissan and Toyota that several million additional units in the United States were joining the roster of recalled vehicles which now totals more than 36 million according to Automotive News estimates.
Nissan recalled an additional 1.56 million vehicles, including 326,000 sold in North America and 288,000 in Japan. Additional models include the 2004-2005 RAV4, the 2003-2006 Tundra, the 2004-2007 Sequoia, the 2005-2007 Corolla, and the 2005-2007 Lexus SC. Some of the models are being recalled across the country, while others are being handled on a regional basis in states and territories with high absolute humidity.
Honda has continued to investigate reports of injuries and fatalities associated with Takata airbags–some as recently as March–despite a massive recall campaign that has been underway in the United States since last year. A fatal incident in January was also believed to be linked to a faulty Takata inflator. The company launched a voluntary ad campaign in March to reach Honda and Acura owners who may be driving vehicles that have been recalled and not yet fixed.
“The goals of this campaign are to save lives and prevent injuries,” said Honda’s US executive VP, John Mendel, when the ad campaign was announced. “Honda hopes that this new consumer information campaign will bolster our existing and continuing efforts to reach our customers and maximize the vehicle repair completion rates associated with recalls to replace Takata airbag inflators.”
“American Honda continues to urge owners of Honda and Acura vehicles affected by the Takata airbag inflator recalls to get their vehicles repaired at authorized dealers as soon as possible. Vehicle owners can check their vehicles’ recall status at www.recalls.honda.com for Honda owners or www.recalls.acura.com for Acura owners or by calling their authorized dealer,” the company said in a statement regarding the ongoing campaign.
All manufacturers with vehicles carrying airbags with the faulty Takata components have been under increasing pressure from regulators to further expand recall efforts.
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