Honda Recalls 405,000 Cars Worldwide for Air Bag Defect

(Image source: Wikimedia Commons) BY ERIK SHUTE Honda Motor Co. is recalling more than 400,000 vehicles due to a malfunction in its air bag system. The recall largely affects its flagship minivan, the Odyssey. 342,000 models sold between 2003 and 2004 could glitch and deploy their air bags prematurely. This also applies to 63,400 Acura MDXs sold in 2003. The recall applies to the United States, Canada, Japan and Australia. (Via Honda Motor Co.) The car company says it received a number of complaints about air bags deploying without warning. So far, only a few owners have suffered injuries to their hands. Nothing else has been reported. The glitch in the Supplemental Restraint System, or SRS, air bag is caused by electrical interference. Essentially, electrical currents from other parts of the car could interfere with the system's circuit, accidentally setting off the air bag. To prevent malfunction, Honda explained an electrical noise filter will be installed adjacent to the SRS control unit. The fix will be free of charge. (Via Kelley Blue Book, Honda Motor Co., Wikimedia Commons) Car owners should expect a recall notice arriving in the mail by late October. Honda is advising owners bring their vehicles to an authorized dealer to correct the issue. Air bag safety in 2013 is becoming Honda's biggest headache. NBC News reported another air-bag-related issue in its Pilot SUV and Odyssey minivan triggered the recall of 750,000 vehicles earlier this year. That problem involved missing rivets, which stopped the air bag from deploying properly in a crash. (Via Honda Motor Co.) The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration calculated a grand total of 16.2 million recalls in 2012. Honda appeared second on that list with 3.3 million recalled vehicles. (Via National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)