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Honda Issues Do-Not-Drive Warning Targeting 8,200 Older Vehicles

Steering wheel of a Honda
Photo: D.Boshouwers
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Daniel Rufiange
The warning affects vehicles still equipped with Takata airbags
  • Honda is issuing a do-not-drive warning affecting vehicles still equipped with Takata airbags.

  • The company recommends that owners of vehicles not yet repaired stop driving them.

  • Honda's Accord, Civic, CR-V, Odyssey and Pilot and Acura's 3.2 CL and 3.2 TL from 2001-2003 model-years are affected.

Honda issued a serious warning today not to drive certain models it marketed from 2001 to 2003. The reason, as you may have guessed, is related to the Takata airbags that equipped some of the vehicles it offered over that period. 

Remember that over time, the airbag inflators, when subjected to high heat and humidity, can explode in the occupants' faces. Metal fragments released as projectiles can seriously injure or even kill vehicle occupants. 

Many Honda and Acura vehicles from 2001 to 2003 have still not been repaired, and the more time goes by, the more at-risk motorists and their passengers are in these vehcles. This is true where the climate is hot and humid, as mentioned, and it also concerns Canadian consumers. In a few months, summer will be back. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the equivalent of Transport Canada, has stated that owners of the affected vehicles should not drive them until they are repaired, warning that “the risk to vehicle occupants is dire”.

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2003 Honda Pilot
2003 Honda Pilot
Photo: Honda

The urgent warning applies to the following models from the 2001-2003 model years: the Honda Accord, Civic, CR-V, Odyssey and Pilot, and the Acura 3.2 CL and 3.2 TL. 

So far, more than 30 deaths have been reported worldwide, including at least 23 in the U.S., while hundreds have been injured in vehicles from various manufacturers that used Takata airbag inflators.

Last month, we reported that the death of the driver of a 2002 Honda Accord in Bowling Green, Kentucky, was determined to be caused by a faulty inflator. The affected vehicles may be older, but it is imperative that they be repaired.

Sharing this news can save lives. If you know someone who owns any of the models Honda has identified, the information should reach them. 

Honda has been the company most affected by the numerous Takata recalls. In the U.S. alone, 17 people have died in its vehicles and more than 200 injured. 

Over the past decade, more than 67 million Takata airbag inflators have been recalled in the U.S. and more than 100 million worldwide, in the largest auto safety recall in history.

Honda said Friday it has sent out 18.3 million messages to contact owners, including mail notifications, emails, phone calls and home visits. The automaker stressed that it is offering free towing and courtesy vehicles for free repairs related to the recall. Honda said it has replaced or accounted for more than 99 percent of “Alpha” inflators.

That means some are still on the road. 

Honda said it is concerned about the safety of people who may be behind the wheel of an unrepaired vehicle and decided to issue the new Do Not Drive notice to get them to respond. 

Let's hope the message is heard loud and clear.

Daniel Rufiange
Daniel Rufiange
Automotive expert
  • Over 17 years' experience as an automotive journalist
  • More than 75 test drives in the past year
  • Participation in over 250 new vehicle launches in the presence of the brand's technical specialists