Honda, a Japanese automaker, has agreed to pay 96.5 million US dollars for the faulty airbags installed in Honda and Acura vehicles sold in the US. Tanaka Corp.designed and manufactured the systems, which has pleaded guilty in 2017 to federal criminal fraud charges for deceiving Honda and other automakers about the safety of its airbags.
The lawsuits against Honda came from attorneys general in 46 states, three US territories, and Washington, DC, for Honda’s alleged failure to inform the consumers and regulators of the risk of rupture in the frontal airbag systems sourced from Tanaka Corp. in some of its vehicles.
The investigation on Honda begun in December 2015, and the following year, Takata airbags became the most massive auto part recall in US history, with about 50 million inflators. Despite the settlement, Honda stated that it “does not acknowledge any wrongdoing.” Honda has since recalled approximately 12.9 million Honda and Acura vehicles equipped with the faulty inflators worldwide since 2008.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, many of the airbag victims owned a Honda Accord. Researchers determined that majority of the airbag ruptures were because of moisture factors. Some cars with the faulty Takata airbag design were prone to water seeping, especially for vehicles operating in humid environments. The airbag systems were said to cause metal fragments to fly toward passengers when ruptured. From the Takata airbags, at least 25 people have been killed worldwide, and 300 have been injured.
Honda customers are entitled to restitution for injuries or damages resulting from the defective airbags. Owners of potentially affected 2001 to 2016 Honda and Acura vehicles can check the recall status online. Honda offers a free repair service and loaner vehicles available during the repair.
From the 96.5 million USD settlement, 84 million will settle each jurisdiction lawsuit. Roughly 1 million will go to the National Association of Attorneys General, while 11.3 million will go to California.
“This settlement with Honda makes clear that companies, large and small, will face serious consequences when they put profits over protecting the safety of their customers.”
Washington, DC’s attorney general Karl Racine
Honda has also agreed to upgrade its airbag safety procedures to reduce the risk of ruptures. Other state persecutors said they’re happy that Honda’s settlement includes the implementation of new safety protocols for the protection of the consumers.
➡ Looking to get featured on Future Sharks?
