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Takata airbags were adopted in late 1990s to save a few dollars per vehicle

According to a new report from The New York Times, General Motors started using airbags supplied by Takata in the late 1990s as a cost-saving measure even after receiving warnings about their safety. Takata's airbag modules were reportedly 30-percent cheaper than its competitors' offerings. GM approached Autoliv, which until that time had been its main airbag supplier, to see if it could offer a competitively priced alternative to Takata. Autoliv tested Takata's airbag inflator and found that it was unsafe, according to scientists who worked for the supplier at the time. Chris Hock, who until recently still worked for Autoliv, said the inflator "turned it into shrapnel" when tested. GM was subsequently warned by Autoliv that Takata's ammonium nitrate inflators were potentially dangerous. Still, "General Motors told us they were going to buy Takata's inflaters unless we could make a cheaper one," said Linda Rink, who served as a senior scientist at Autoliv at the time. A spokesperson for General Motors told The Times that it would be inappropriate to comment on discussions that "occurred two decades ago between Old GM and a supplier." So far, no Takata-supplied airbags have ruptured in an accident, and GM was far from the only automaker to make a switch to Takata airbags in order to save money. A total of 64 million airbags have so far been recalled from nearly every automaker selling vehicles in America. A spokesperson from Honda said in a statement to The Times that "There was no industry understanding in the late 1990s" that ammonium nitrate airbag inflators were risky. The majority of deaths linked to Takata airbags were in vehicles built by Honda. Takata still produces airbag inflators that use an ammonium nitrate compound, despite the devices being blamed for at least 14 deaths. Click here for NHTSA's dedicated site on open Takata recalls. Related Video: News Source: The New York TimesImage Credit: Joe Skipper / Reuters Government/Legal Recalls GM Honda Safety autoliv

Honda could halve its US lineup without crimping its sales much [w/video]

Taking a detailed look at the Honda lineup in the US, it isn't hard to see the strength of some models and the weaknesses of others. A recent report on Autoline Daily points out that its five core models - the Accord, Civic, CR-V, Odyssey and Pilot - make up a full 93 percent of Honda's sales in the US. Through April, Honda has sold 419,798 vehicles, and 389,474 of them were from these core models; not to mention the fact that the Accord was the top-selling car in the US last month.
This means that Honda could technically cut six of its 11 models and only lose about 5,000 sales per month. Of course, this is just some data crunching and there is no reason to believe that Honda is planning to kill off any of its models in the near future. In fact, it seems to be committed to the Ridgeline, while Japanese-made models that may actually lose money for Honda still fill unique voids. Scroll down for the video report - fast-forward to the 1:43 mark for the Honda info.

Honda and NHTSA report 11th death linked to Takata airbags

Honda and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration confirmed the 11th death due to a faulty Takata airbag today. A 50-year-old California woman died from injuries sustained after the recalled airbag inflator in her 2001 Honda Civic ruptured in a crash, Automotive News reports. The Civic in question was one of 313,000 Honda/ Acura vehicles built between 2001 and 2003 with a bad Takata airbag inflator. According to AN, Honda issued an initial airbag recall in 2008, eventually sending more than 20 notices to owners of affected vehicles. NHTSA issued a dire warning in June, suggesting owners stop driving cars with recalled inflators due to the "grave danger" they posed. In the case of the 2001-2003 Hondas and Acuras, NHTSA warned of as much as a 50 percent chance an airbag inflator would rupture if it wasn't replaced in a previous recall. Between now and 2019, NHTSA plans on recalling 70 million faulty Takata inflators. But as of October 7, only about 36 percent, or 11.4 million of the officially recalled inflators, have been pulled off the road. With 11 deaths and over 100 injuries linked to faulty Takata airbags, we implore owners of recalled vehicles (regardless of the make) to heed manufacturer recalls. Yes, it's annoying to stop by the dealership, but manufacturers issue recalls for your safety. Best to pay attention to them. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Newsome Melton / Reuters Government/Legal Recalls Honda Safety Economy Cars Sedan airbag Takata airbag recall