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Honda recalling 405K vehicles over airbag issue

Honda is in hot water due to an airbag glitch that is causing it to recall 405,400 vehicles. According to the campaign, the supplemental restraints might fire for no apparent reason. 342,000 of the affected vehicles are 2003 and 2004 Odyssey minivans, which gels with a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation we reported on in June.
Joining the Odyssey in the recall is the Acura MDX, with 63,400 units covered from the 2003 model year. Unlike the van, though, the MDX's recall covers Japan and Australia, in addition to the US and Canada. Both vehicles are suffering from an airbag control unit that is prone to malfunction when exposed to electrical noise, a condition that can cause the airbags to deploy without warning. Although no crashes have been reported in such scenarios, there have been some injuries typical of airbag deployment - abrasions and such.
Honda will be mailing recall notices to owners near the end of October, asking them to bring their vehicles into the dealership for installation of an electrical noise filter. The repair will take about an hour and be free of charge. Scroll down for the official announcement from Honda.

Acura MDX Luggage Test: How much fits behind the third row?

The Acura MDX shares its platform with the Honda Pilot, but that fact is really only obvious when you look at their rear seat floor plans. Both offer the unique, removable second-row middle seat, which means that buyers don't have to decide whether they want max capacity and a second-row bench, or the pass-through convenience of second-row captain's chairs. Both also boast a two-level cargo floor behind the third row, which is always a benefit here in Luggage Test land. But! The MDX does not have nearly as much room back there, regardless of whether you take advantage of the two-level floor's lower level (why wouldn't you?).  The MDX has two cargo volume specs for behind the third row: 16.3 and 18.1 cubic-feet. I think it's safe to assume the expanded number is with the floor in its lower position. The Pilot has 18.6 with the floor in place, and either 22.4 or 21.8 with the lower position. The latter's is the Pilot TrailSport's, which is what I conducted the luggage test on. Meanwhile, in the three-row luxury SUV realm, the current king of the castle is the Lexus TX. Telling you right now, the MDX ain't cracking that nut, but what about everything else I've tested? Let's see. Here is the space in question. Note that the floor does not need to be removed; it actually slides down, tucked just below that plastic trim, and rests upon the lower floor. Now, this obviously does raise the bottom floor by an inch versus removing the floor board entirely, so much like cargo covers in two-row vehicles, I decided to test with and without the floor inside. As with every Luggage Test, I use two midsize roller suitcases that would need to be checked in at the airport (26 inches long, 16 wide, 11 deep), two black roll-aboard suitcases that just barely fit in the overhead (24L x 15W x 10D), and one smaller green roll-aboard that fits easily (23L x 15W x 10D). I also include my wife's fancy overnight bag just to spruce things up a bit (21L x 12W x 12D). Well, I can safely say that the MDX's cargo area is narrower than the Pilot's (above right). I could not fit the same bags* head-to-head in the MDX as I could in the Pilot (* green bag is the blue bag's equally sized replacement). The underfloor area seems to be the same length, but it is considerably narrower.  As such, it's obvious the MDX won't be able to hold as many bags, or at least the same bags, as the Pilot could.  First, with the floor stored in its lower position inside the MDX. Two options.

10 automakers sued over keyless ignitions

Keyless ignition has rapidly proliferated throughout the auto industry to become a fairly normal feature on new cars. It's supposed to offer the convenience of keeping the fob in your pocket and just pressing a button to drive away. However, ten major automakers are now being sued in US District Court over claims that the system is dangerous, Reuters reports. The suit alleges that people are forgetting to shut off the engine, and the lack of an idle timer is the cause for 13 deaths by carbon monoxide poisoning and multiple injuries. The suit currently includes 28 plaintiffs, according to Reuters, but the lawyers are asking for class-action status to potentially add many more. The case goes after a major swath of the industry, including BMW, Daimler, FCA, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota, and Volkswagen, plus their related brands like Acura, Infiniti, Mini, and Lexus. In all, over five million vehicles are affected. The assertion here is that people walk away from their vehicle without shutting it off because they believe the engine shuts off automatically. If parked in a garage, carbon monoxide can build up, leading to poisoning. The lawyers claim automakers know this is a problem and also cite 27 complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the issue, according to Reuters. The plaintiffs are asking for an automatic shut-off and damages from the companies. These concerns have come up before, though. Toyota previously faced a lawsuit over a carbon monoxide death after a woman accidentally left her Lexus running. Also earlier this year, GM recalled 64,186 examples of the 2011-2013 Chevrolet Volt because owners weren't shutting them off. The problem resulted in two injuries, and the company released a software update to limit the idling time.