Honda issued a second recall this week for the same 1.4 million cars that need the driver's side airbags fixed after a seventh person died because of exploding airbags. The most recent recall is to replace passenger's side airbags as well.
The first recall focused on Hondas driven in humid areas of the country because Takata Corporation, a Japanese automotive parts company that provides the airbags, said those cars
were most at risk, according to CNN Money. However, after U.S. safety regulators insisted that the models be included in the nationwide recall, Honda complied. Of the models included in the expanded recall, the 2001-2005 Civic and the 2003-2007 Accord are among Honda’s most popular.
Takata's expanded recall, the largest in history, now extends to 34 million vehicles including 15 different brands and 60 different models, according to CNN Money. The recalled brands include Toyota’s 2003-2007 Corolla and Corolla Matrix models, 2005-2006 Tundra models, 2005-2007 Sequoia models, and
2003-2007 Lexus SC430 vehicles, according to USA Today.
These recalls were the result of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s inquiries into the faulty airbags, which can inflate with the excessive force of the crash while spewing forth metal and plastic shrapnel into the
vehicle occupants’ faces, Mercury News reported. Seven people have died from these incidents and more than 100 have been injured.
Of the seven deaths attributed to the inflating and exploding airbags, all of them have arisen from the driver’s airbag, according to CNN Money. The latest death occurred when Kylan Langlinais, 22, of Louisiana was killed on April 5. Honda claims to have mailed her a recall notice for her 2005 Civic three days prior to the accident.
Both Honda and Toyota have shown their ready compliance with the recalls, according to USA Today.
“Toyota's focus remains on the safety and security of our customers, and we will continue to respond promptly to new developments,” Dino Triantafyllos, chief quality officer at Toyota Motor North America, said in a statement.