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The Honda CR-Z is on the way out, at least in Japan

The poor CR-Z, misbegotten and subsequently ignored by both customers and critics. Sales have been a trickle for years, and despite a few half-hearted attempts to kick-start interest it's clear the CR-Z lacks the goods. We've been thinking about its imminent demise for years, and it's already dead in Europe and Australia. Now, the CR-Z's lackluster run is ending in Japan. Inexplicably, that'll make the US one of the last bastions of CR-Z sales in the world. The 1.5-liter engine and electric motor make a combined 130 hp and 140 lb-ft of torque in manual-transmission trim. Yes, a manual transmission hybrid. Quite a unicorn, but don't get too excited. It won't blow your socks off, as we found out in our first drive. And the CVT model, with less power, is predictably less thrilling. Like most final edition packages, the Japan-only CR-Z Final Label gets cosmetic changes, like special edition badging, unique alloy wheels, "Final Label" logos embroidered on the seats, and equipment from the higher trim levels. The attention makes sense in Japan, where collectible special edition cars are highly sought after. It seems unlikely that Honda will bother with anything more exciting than a fire-sale promotion in the US, although we've asked the company what its plans for CR-Z in North America are and will report on what they tell us. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: Honda Japan Green Honda Coupe Hatchback Hybrid honda crz

Toyota, Honda, Mazda and Nissan recall 3.4 million vehicles for faulty airbags

Most vehicle recalls that take place these days are a result of some problem that happens during the manufacturing process by the automaker, but as we see here, parts suppliers can also factor in to problematic safety issues. Automotive News is reporting that a total of 3.4 million vehicles produced by Japanese automakers between 2000 and 2004 are being recalled globally due to faulty airbags produced by an outside supplier, Takata Corp.
According to the report, vehicles from Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mazda are being recalled because of passenger front airbags that do not inflate properly. Globally, Toyota is said to be recalling around 1.73 million cars including 510,000 in the US composed of Toyota Corolla, Matrix, Sequoia and Tundra as well as the Lexus SC430 for the 2001 through 2003 model years; this is the second time this year the 2003 Corolla and Matrix have been recalled for an airbag problem. Honda is recalling 1.14 million models, Nissan another 480,000 and Mazda 45,463. The article says that Takata supplied faulty airbags to non-Japanese automakers, but it did not specify which ones.
Honda and Toyota have released information on their own websites about the recall, while Nissan and Mazda have not yet commented. Read official press releases from Honda and Toyota, below, and look for updates as we have word from the others.

Honda underreported 1,729 claims of injuries or deaths since 2003

Among these underreported cases were eight Takata airbag inflator ruptures not submitted. Following an independent audit of its safety reporting procedures, Honda has found massive holes in its methodology and practices that resulted in 1,729 claims of injuries or deaths going unreported to federal authorities dating back to July 2003. The cases should have been submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as part of its quarterly Early Warning Reports (EWRs) under the TREAD Act, but they fell through the cracks for a variety of reasons. Honda blames the underreporting on three factors: data entry errors, computer coding problems and "an overly narrow interpretation of what constituted a 'written notice' under the TREAD Act." The first two issues were related to the computer program that collected the claims. If employees didn't enter a date in the "written claim received" field, then they were omitted from the EWRs. Also, the company's internal component codes didn't always match those used by NHTSA, and only the ones that were the same were disclosed. Finally, third-party documents, including police reports, were not considered. Honda says the computer error is now corrected, and the company is updating its data entry training. In the future, written and oral claims will be included in EWRs, as well. Among these underreported cases were eight Takata airbag inflator ruptures not submitted in Honda's EWRs, including one death and seven injuries. However, the automaker claims NHTSA was already aware of all of these incidents either from the agency's own records or from the company's notification outside of the EWR process. Unfortunately, this problem could have been stopped much sooner. The issue was first brought to light in 2011 but didn't result in a followup. NHTSA advised the automaker of discrepancies in January 2012, and it still did nothing. This third-party audit wasn't commissioned until September 2014. "Honda acknowledges that it lacked the urgency needed to correct its problems on a timely basis," it says in the announcement. Separately, the Japanese government is starting an investigation, as well. According to Reuters, the Japanese Transport Minister has created a task force to look into the Takata recalls and find out whether Honda under-reported incidents there. Scroll down to read the company's entire statement on the third-party investigation.