Honda Enlists U.S. Firm to Investigate Takata Airbags
Honda has brought on outside help to get to the bottom of a major safety issue.
The Japanese automaker has enlisted Exponent, an engineering consulting company that was also used by Toyota during its recall crisis in 2010, to look into the cause of rupturing airbags made by Takata. When these airbags rupture, metal shrapnel can be shot at the car’s occupants. This issue has been linked to six deaths so far, all in Honda vehicles.
A total of 25 million vehicles have been recalled worldwide over this issue, with Honda USA calling back about 5.4 million cars.
SEE ALSO: Honda Tackles Takata Recall with New Ads
In December 2014, Takata safety executive Hiroshi Shimizu admitted during testimony that the company still had not identified “the root cause,” of the problems.
A separate investigation led by firm Orbital ATK has also been launched, commissioned by a consortium of 10 automakers, including Honda, to independently look into the inflator issues.
[Source: Automotive News]
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Stephen covers all of the day-to-day events of the industry as the News Editor at AutoGuide, along with being the AG truck expert. His truck knowledge comes from working long days on the woodlot with pickups and driving straight trucks professionally. When not at his desk, Steve can be found playing his bass or riding his snowmobile or Sea-Doo. Find Stephen on <A title="@Selmer07 on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/selmer07">Twitter</A> and <A title="Stephen on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/117833131531784822251?rel=author">Google+</A>
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Poor show by Takata. They fail continuously to be co-operative. Unfortunately they are one of the bastions of old Japanese business "operating ways" ... i.e ... when there is an issue try and brush it under the carpet and hope it all goes away, then, just apologize at the end and all is forgiven. Thankfully when dealing with the international market place that mentality doesn't cut it. Operating with the neglect for addressing issues concerning human safety ... these guys should be out of business