HONDA Recall

On February 10, 2010, Honda Motor Co., Japan's No. 2 automaker, announced another expansion of its global air bag recall. Affected vehicles include some model year 2001 and 2002 Accords, Civics, Odysseys, and CR-Vs, and model year 2002 Acura TLs.

The concern is that some of the recalled vehicles' airbag inflators can generate enough force to fracture the inflator. The resulting metal shards have caused several injuries and at least one fatality.

The recall follows two previous recalls for the same defect, one in November 2008 and another in July 2009. This latest recall adds more than 400,000 cars globally to the list, for a total for the three recalls approaching one million vehicles.

The problem originated with a stamping machine that sometimes used insufficient pressure to make the air bag inflators. But Honda has since found that more vehicles may contain the defective inflators, which are made by Tokyo-based Takata Corporation. According to the press release, Honda decided "to recall all inflator assemblies that were not confirmed by 100-percent automatic inspection during production."

Owners of the recalled vehicles should take them to dealerships as soon as they re notified by Honda in writing. The automaker stated that notification will begin in February, 2010.

The recall comes amid a slew of recalls, including the highly publicized Toyota recall for the unintended acceleration of some of their automobiles, and another of Honda's own recalls of 646,000 Fit hatchbacks for a glitch that could allow water to enter the power window mechanism, causing components to overheat.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident involving a recalled Honda model, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact a qualified personal injury attorney for an evaluation of your case.