Honda’s spokesperson Chris Martin says the company is replacing Takata airbags using parts mostly from three other suppliers: Autoliv (ALV), TRW (ZF TRW) and Japanese maker Daicel. The recall stems from the discovery that these airbags, when deployed in an accident, can explode with too much force and spray metal shrapnel at occupants. Ten of the deaths have occurred in Hondas, the automaker confirmed. The airbags in question have been blamed for 11 deaths and over 150 injuries, with additional cases under review. Takata has held almost one-third of the airbag market worldwide. The recall also spotlights the danger for automakers to have one supplier so dominate one area where safety defects can be so consequential. Some manufacturers along the way have been found using defective airbags as replacements in the cars, and even some new cars are still being sold with the defective airbags that will have to be replaced. Meanwhile, the recall, which has been expanded several times, has taken many turns that spotlights a flawed process. Honda disputes that it withheld data or information about the defects and says it shared all its findings with federal regulators. “Honda in particular, though it is not limited to Honda, was Takata’s enabler on this as their biggest customer,” Kane said, charging, “Honda had ample information going back years before NHTSA got involved to have red-flagged this problem for the industry.” Sean Kane, founder and president of Safety Research and Strategies, a research and consulting firm that studies recalls and product safety, says automakers are to blame for not responding to early signs of problems with the Takata airbags. The largest safety recall in America’s history, it has drawn the ire of safety advocates and Congress. (See the complete list of recalled vehicles here.) Honda is at the center of the recall, with some 10 million Honda and Acura cars recalled, but the recall includes at least 14 major car makes, including Toyota, Ford, Mazda, BMW and Audi. regulators have estimated that the fixes could take two years to complete. Of the 70 million recalled, only about 8 million have been replaced.
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