Honda owners in Washington may have received notice of an expanded recall of cars that have defective Takata air bags. Since 2008, more than 6 million vehicles have been recalled due to faulty inflators on Takata air bags. There have been nine U.S. deaths connected with the inflators, and eight of them were in Hondas. The latest round of recalls is on late-model cars including the 2016 Acura ILX.
Honda issued the letter to dealers on Jan. 30 saying that it planned to recall as many as 2 million Acura and Honda vehicles. However, on Feb. 2, two U.S. senators said that all 24 million cars with Takata inflators should be recalled.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that its investigation into the recalls and the faulty inflators is still ongoing. NHTSA recalled about 19 million vehicles with Takata inflators through the end of 2015, and in January, Takata said that it planned to recall more than 5 million inflators located on the driver’s side.
This case highlights a number of issues with defective products and potentially negligent manufacturers. People who have been injured or who have lost loved ones due to a vehicle defect may want to speak to an attorney about their rights. In some cases, there might be a class-action lawsuit against a vehicle manufacturer or a company that manufactures defective parts. In an effort to keep a case out of court, a company may offer a settlement, but that settlement may be too low to cover the medical expenses, lost wages and other costs that arise from an injury.