Honda is recalling model year 2001 Honda Civic and Honda Accord vehicles. The driver’s airbag inflator could produce excessive internal pressure. If an affected airbag deploys, the increased internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture. Metal fragments could pass through the air bag cushion material possibly causing injury to vehicle occupants.

Honda was aware of this defect since at least June 2007, but did not start a program to collect suspect parts till more than a half-year later. By November 2008, Honda had determined that a safety defect existed in the 2001 Honda Accord and Honda Civic driver air bags and notified the US government.

However, by June of 2009, Honda had received at least two additional reports of driver air bags with unusual deployment. Accordingly, Honda notified the government that it was expanding the recall, which was assigned a new recall number: 09V-259. However, Honda did not determine what number of vehicles was affected by the expanded scope, nor what percentage of affected vehicles have the safety defect.

If Honda doesn’t know what specific vehicles actually contain the defect, how can you as a consumer be expected to know? This kind of incident really makes you wonder about their quality control, as well as the quality control procedures of their air bag supplier.

BMW is recalling model year 2008 BMW 1-series and BMW 3- series passenger cars. Incorrect crimp connectors may have been used on the side air bag and belt tensioner wiring. As a result, sufficient contact between the crimp connectors and the corresponding plug may not occur, which could lead to an increase in the electrical resistance of that connection.

If that happens, it is possible for the side air bag and/or the safety belt tensioner not to deploy and not be able to properly protect an occupant, increasing the risk of injuries. 09V-257.

Volkswagen (VW) is recalling 18,500 model year 2009 VW Routan vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, “Occupant Crash Protection.” The owner’s manual was printed without the FMVSS No. 208 required information explaining that no objects should be placed over or near the air bag on the instrument panel. Any such objects could cause injury to the vehicle’s occupants in the event of a crash severe enough to cause the air bag to inflate. The recall is expected to begin on or before July 31, 2009. 09V-244.

Daimler Chrysler is recalling 270,958 model year 2005 Chrysler Town and Country and 2005 Dodge Caravan minivans originally sold in or currently registered in the 27 states plus the District of Columbia that use greater amounts of salt for winter road deicing.

The up-front (UF) air bag sensors that contain brass bushings installed in these vehicles may corrode and crack allowing water to enter the sensor. These sensors provide enhanced air bag performance in certain types of frontal crashes. In one of these crashes, with one or both of the vehicle’s UF sensors inoperative, the occupants will not benefit from the enhanced air bag protection that these sensors would provide.

For vehicles registered in the recall states, dealers will replace the original UF air bag sensors with ones with greater corrosion resistance. Vehicles registered in other states will obtain a lifetime free replacement of any UF sensor that fails. The campaign is expected to begin during July 2007.

DaimlerChrysler has not decided that this is a defect related to motor vehicle safety. However, it has informed NHTSA that it will provide the modifications described above. This recall was the subject of a Preliminary Evaluation, PE06-003, conducted by the Office of Defects Investigation. 07V-192.

In my opinion, Chrysler’s claim that the acknowledged cracking and leakage into its front air bag sensors is not a safety defect is ridiculous.  Surely, their engineers did not design those sensor to crack and leak intentionally.  And, if the sensors were not needed, why were they used in the first place?  To me, this sounds like a company trying to avoid responsibility for its defective products.

Our client was the driver of a Dodge Grand Caravan, one of the Chrysler minivans; other related minivans are the Dodge Caravan, Plymouth Voyager / Grand Voyager and Chrysler Town & Country.  Although he was involved in a severe frontal accident, his driver air bag failed to deploy and his seat belt unlatched during the accident, causing him to suffer fatal injuries.  The passenger air bag did deploy, even though there was no passenger.  This combination is one of the typical symptoms of a clockspring defect. 

Our investigation revealed that the clockspring, located under the driver air bag and steering wheel, was defective.  Although it was included as part of a safety recall, Chrysler never sent the recall  notice to our client.  In fact, Chrysler has previously sent out as many as ten recall notices, but in this case sent out only one.  This means that if the vehicle was ever sold, or the owner moved, after that sole recall notice went out, the notice may never have reached the current owner.

Chrysler admitted that this same defect may have existed in about a million-and-a-half Chrysler minivans (Dodge Caravan, Dodge Grand Caravan, Plymouth Voyager, Plymouth Grand Voyager, and Chrysler Town & Country) from the 1996 to the 1998 model years.  We also discovered that clockspring defects affected numerous other Chrysler models, including those from more recent model years.

Bentley Motors Ltd. (Bentley) is recalling 4 model year 2004-2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur and 2004-2006 Bentley Continental GT vehicles. The replacement trimmed covers have been manufactured with tethers of an incorrect length. In the event of a crash, this could result in damage to the air bag itself during deployment, increasing the risk of injuries. The recall is expected to begin on or about February 22, 2008. 08V-072.

This just goes to show that even very expensive vehicles can suffer from serious safety defects arising from poor quality.