Department of Motor Vehicles

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Contacts:
Joe Morrissey             [email protected]       
Rich Meddaugh          [email protected]

DMV URGES CERTAIN HONDA AND ACURA OWNERS TO CHECK FOR POTENTIALLY LIFE-SAVING
SAFETY RECALL INFORMATION
Tests of Takata airbags in certain models from 2001 to 2003 show a 50 percent chance of ruptures during airbag deployment
Up to 3,778 on the road in New York still in need of this vital repair

The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles is strongly urging owners of certain 2001 to 2003 Honda and Acura models to check the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)'s Safety Issues & Recalls page immediately for important safety recall information related to Takata airbags.  The vehicles are part of a larger, 70 million vehicle recall effort related to faulty airbags.  NHTSA estimates there are about 300,000 vehicles nationwide that are still on the road that have not been repaired.  There are up to 3,778 on the road in New York State still in need of this vital repair.  Tests on these vehicles found up to a 50 percent chance of a dangerous air bag inflator rupture during deployment.

“NHTSA has confirmed 11 fatalities and more than 100 injuries in the U.S. that were related to ruptures of Takata airbag inflators,” said DMV Executive Deputy Commissioner Terri Egan. “Right now, the risk of serious injury or death in a crash is so high that NHTSA is warning owners not to drive the vehicles, unless they are bringing them in to be repaired.”

According to NHTSA, the higher-risk inflators are in the following 2001-2003 Honda and Acura vehicles:

• 2001-2002 Honda Civic
• 2001-2002 Honda Accord
• 2002-2003 Acura TL
• 2002 Honda CR-V
• 2002 Honda Odyssey
• 2003 Acura CL
• 2003 Honda Pilot

The air bag inflators in these particular vehicles contain a manufacturing defect which greatly increases the potential for dangerous rupture when a crash causes the air bag to deploy.  Time, humidity and fluctuating temperatures degrade the ammonium nitrate propellant in the inflators. That can result in the propellant burning too quickly, rupturing the inflator unit and sending shrapnel through the air bag and into the vehicle compartment.

Those who are unsure if their vehicle is part of the recall can visit NHTSA’s Safety Issues & Recalls webpage and enter their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to check whether their vehicle has any outstanding safety recalls. Owners of any vehicle subject to this recall should contact their nearest dealer to schedule a no-cost repair.

In 2015, NHTSA imposed the largest civil penalty in its history for Takata’s violations of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, and for the first time used its authority to accelerate recall repairs to millions of affected vehicles.

Additional information about the Takata airbag inflator recall can be found on NHTSA's Safety Issues & Recalls page.

Additional driver safety tips and information are available by visiting the DMV and Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee websites.

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