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10 automakers shack up in Detroit hotel to talk Takata airbags

Since Takata has decided not to take the lead concerning potential issues with its airbag inflators, the automakers have. Perhaps that's unsurprising, since it's the automakers, not Takata, that will take a beating on the dealership floor if consumers decide its models are a health hazards. The Detroit News reports that Toyota, Honda, General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Mazda, BMW, Nissan, Mitsubishi and Subaru met in a hotel conference room near the Detroit Metropolitan Airport last week to sort out a way to understand the technical issues involved. So far, faulty airbag inflators have been ruled the cause of five deaths and 50 injuries around the world, but neither Takata nor investigators understands exactly why the inflators are malfunctioning. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently asked Takata to issue a national recall, Takata declined, citing a minuscule failure rate and the fact that it's still investigating the issue. Toyota and Honda then made an industry-wide appeal for "a coordinated, comprehensive testing program" that would pinpoint the problem inflators and get them replaced, and that's what the Detroit meeting was about. Numerous issues, however, will make this a long row to hoe: simply getting the parts to replace the nearly 20 million inflators in cars recalled around the world so far - even working with other suppliers - will take a years, but more importantly, no one knows if the replacement inflators currently being installed will suffer the same issue. Answers will hopefully come quickly with Takata, the ten automakers and NHTSA all independently investigating the problem.

2015 Honda HR-V looks fit for the urban jungle

Honda has been teasing us with the looks of its Fit-based compact crossover for months. Now the production version, dubbed the HR-V in the US, has finally been unveiled - in photographic form, at any rate - at the 2014 New York Auto Show. The CUV will slot into the brand's range this winter, and at the moment the company is keeping mum on many details about the new model.
The HR-V looks almost identical to the Urban SUV Concept unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show. The concept wore some nifty LED headlights and bigger wheels, but the rest of the styling has carried over to production. The handsome CUV sports diamond-shaped headlights, and a center bar splits the grille into two tiers. It has the same swoosh down the side running to the C-pillar, but it appears slightly less pronounced than in Detroit. The rear door handles are also hidden in the back pillar.
The compact crossover rides on the same platform as the new Fit. That allows it to take full advantage of the compact's highly versatile interior. The HR-V comes with Honda's Magic Seat that allows the back row to fold flat into the floor when needed.

Don't drive some 2001-03 Hondas and Acuras with Takata airbags, feds say

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Thursday warned owners of certain 2001-03 Honda and Acura models to stop driving their vehicles immediately due greater risks posed by their defective Takata airbags. NHTSA says the airbag inflators have up to a 50-percent chance of exploding in an accident. Dangerous ruptures are more likely to occur in vehicles that spend a significant amount of time in high humidity. About 313,000 vehicles are affected. They are: The 2001 to 2002 Honda Accord and Civic, the 2002 to 2003 Acura TL, 2002 Honda CR-V and Odyssey, 2003 Acura CL, and 2003 Honda Pilot. All of these vehicles were recalled from 2008 to 2011 for being equipped with Takata inflators, but the feds are urging immediate action due to the elevated risk. The inflators in this group of cars have a manufacturing defect that "greatly increases the potential for dangerous rupture when a crash causes the airbag to deploy," NHTSA said. "The air bag inflators in this particular group of vehicles pose a grave danger to drivers and passengers that must be fixed right away," NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind said in a statement. Related video: News Source: NHTSA, Automotive News Auto News Honda Minivan/Van SUV Sedan airbag