Toronto, Ontario — Three different airbag glitches are forcing Toyota and Honda to recall more than six million vehicles worldwide, 700,000 of which are currently on Canadian roads.
Honda’s recall is two separate recalls and, while they are Takata airbags, they are not related to the previous Takata recalls that have plagued nearly every automaker in the past few years.
The first recall, covering 198,995 Acura and Honda models, states that airbags have been made “without appropriate seals.” This could allow air and moisture to enter and degrade the inflator propellant, leading to it deploying either too slowly or too forcefully, either of which could “contribute to occupant injuries,” according to Honda.
The affected models include the Acura CL, model years 1997 through 1999, 2001 and 2002; Acura EL models from 1997 through 2000; Acura RL 1998 and 2003; Acura TL 1999 and 2001; Acura MDX from 2001 through 2002; Honda Accord models between 1998 and 2000; Honda Civic models between 1996 and 2000; CR-Vs from 1997 through 2001 and Honda Odyssey models between 1998 and 2001.
The second recall involves 85,247 vehicles and if for the same issue, but applies to cars where an affected airbag may have been fitted after it left the factory.
Honda will begin notifying owners in March but cautions that replacement is not expected to start for one year because replacement parts are not readily available.
Toyota issued two separate airbag recalls last week—with one involving Takata airbags. The Takata airbag recall at Toyota affects 17,022 older vehicles in Canada and 361,000 worldwide. In the event of the crash, these airbags could explode and spew metal fragments and shrapnel.
The recall covers some versions of the RAV4 SUV from 1998 to 2000; the Celica sports car from 1997 to 1999 and the 1998 and 1999 model year Paseo vehicles.
Toyota’s other recall affects 407,318 vehicles in Canada for airbags that may not inflate in the event of a collision. The cars have airbag control computers made by ZF-TRW that are vulnerable to electric interference and may fail to signal the bags to inflate upon impact.
Toyota will install a noise filter between the airbag control computer and a wiring harness. But in some vehicles dealers will inspect the computer to determine if it needs the filter. Owners will be notified by mid-March.
U.S. safety regulators are also investigating the problem, as it’s possible that as many as eight people were killed in the U.S. when airbags failed to inflate. Toyota Canada has not said whether any injuries or fatalities occurred in Canada.
The affected vehicles include the Toyota Avalon from 2012 through 2018; Corolla models from 2011 through 2019 and Matrix models from 2011 through 2014.
