Honda, Toyota, re-recall 2m vehicles

Pontiac and Toyota vehicles will be called back for more repairs following reports that the air bags could deploy while driving, the U.S. Transportation Department said Saturday.

The new recall covers vehicles made in the early 2000s with an electronic component from TRW Automotive Holdings Corp., the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a release. The models involved are the Acura MDX, Dodge Viper, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Honda Odyssey, Pontiac Vibe, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Matrix and Toyota Avalon, the agency said.

About 1 million of the Honda Motor and Toyota Motor vehicles recalled today were previously recalled for defective Takata air bags, the agency said.

“This is unfortunately a complicated issue for consumers, who may have to return to their dealer more than once,” said NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind.

“But this is an urgent safety issue, and all consumers with vehicles covered by the previous recalls should have that remedy installed.”

NHTSA said data from consumers and automakers showed that some vehicles repaired under the previous recalls may have experienced inadvertent deployments.

NHTSA urged all three automakers to issue new recalls and make more effective repairs.

The organization has identified about 40 vehicles in which airbags deployed unexpectedly after the original fix. 

(Bloomberg)