At least 1,760 units of selected Honda Fit, City, Civic, and Accord sold in the Philippines are being recalled due to problems involving the front passenger airbag, Honda Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI) said in a statement.
Among those covered by the recall are selected units of 2002 Fit M/T and CVT; 2003 City M/T and CVT; 2003 Civic M/T and A/T; and 2003 Accord A/T.
HCPI said Honda dealers will notify owners of these selected units through a letter and a phone call.
In the statement, HCPI is encouraging all affected owners to take their vehicles to an authorized dealer where the defective inflator will be replaced free of charge.
Owners who sold affected vehicles are requested to inform the dealership immediately so it can relay the information to the new owners.
HCPI president and general manager Toshio Kuwahara said:
"We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience we have caused to our customers and other people involved in this matter. Rest assured that we are conducting different measures to prevent the recurrence of this problem. Our customers' safety is always Honda's top priority. Please bear with us as we conduct this safety campaign,"
The firm added that customers affected by the recall may call their respective dealers for service appointment or call Honda at (02) 857-7240 or email at customer_relations@hondaphil.com, or may also visit Honda Cars Philippines, Inc.'s website www.hondaphil.com for the complete list of frame numbers of affected vehicles, inquiries and details of scheduling.
Repair services will start on July 31 and will be offered in all 32 authorized dealers and 3 service centers nationwide.
Find below the complete list of Honda cars affected by the recall:
Cause of the problem
In a report from ABS-CBN News, HCPI said the cause of the faulty airbags was traced to the automatic rejection system machine's failure to detect defective airbag inflators containing low density propellants.
The defective airbag inflation devices manufactured and delivered by the supplier were inadvertently installed during the assembly of the affected vehicles.
The faulty devices may cause the inflator case to rupture upon airbag deployment, HCPI said.
The firm clarified, however, that no cases of abnormal passenger airbag deployment or of any crashes and/or injuries related to or arising from this issue have been reported so far.
HCPI assured owners of Honda City, Jazz, Civic, Accord, CR-Z, CR-V, HR-V, Pilot and Odyssey models sold and distributed by HCPI and which are not covered by the recall not to worry as “airbags of these models were assembled during other periods.”
About 2.1 million Honda vehicles worldwide are affected by the recall, which involves the replacement of the affected inflator.