Hawaii settles with Honda, affiliates for $14 million over allegations of faulty airbag systems
The state announced a $14 million settlement with American Honda Motor Co. and its affiliates after alleging that Honda didn’t disclose defects in frontal airbag systems in some Honda and Acura vehicles sold in the U.S., including in Hawaii.
The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs’ Office of Consumer Protection, on behalf of the state, made the announcement of the settlement today .
The DCCA said the money in the settlement will be used to benefit Hawaii customers, with focus on renters who have been struggling during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Hawaii became the first state in 2016 to file a lawsuit against Honda and Takata, which manufactured the faulty airbag systems, because the airbags could explode, leading to injury or even death. The state alleged that Honda used airbags propelled by ammonium nitrate, a chemical it said is “volatile and unpredictable,” especially “in hot and humid climates like in Hawaii, where temperature changes and moisture can accelerate the breakdown of the chemical propellant and cause it to explode.”
DCCA said that there have been 17 deaths and over 200 injuries in the U.S. because of the faulty airbags, which were installed in vehicle models ranging from 2002 to 2015.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration required automakers to prioritize the recall of affected vehicles, like Hawaii, that experience high heat and humidity, eventually leading to the recall of nearly 13 million vehicles. It includes tens of thousands of vehicles in Hawaii, DCCA said.
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Hawaii previously settled with Takata for nearly $7 million.
“The State of Hawaii initiated this case against Honda because we believe that it failed to tell Hawaii consumers about the potential dangers of the airbags in Honda vehicles. The resolution of this matter goes a long way in holding Honda responsible for ensuring that Hawaii consumers will be provided vehicles with airbags that protects its occupants in the event of an accident in the safest possible manner,” said Stephen Levins, OCP executive director, in a statement today .
OCP said consumers should determine if they need their airbags replaced by visiting the NHTSA website.
