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Honda Accord under investigation due to airbag failures

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is opening a preliminary evaluation into the possibility of airbags not deploying in the 2008 Honda Accord. The agency has received 19 reports, including one injury, of the airbag control module failing, and the part is on an estimated 384,000 of the vehicles in the US. "For vehicles with a failed SRS module, some or all of the airbags may be unavailable in a crash warranting deployment," NHTSA's investigation says. Drivers are warned when the part stops working by a light on the instrument panel, but several of these reports indicate the module is unable to show diagnostic trouble codes when being inspected. The only way to fix the issue is to replace the whole component, and the Detroit News reports that can cost $500 or more. NHTSA's preliminary evaluations investigate "the scope, frequency, and consequence" of a problem and don't necessarily mean a recall is warranted. INVESTIGATION Subject : SRS Module Failure Date Investigation Opened: AUG 18, 2015 Date Investigation Closed: Open NHTSA Action Number: PE15029 Component(s): AIR BAGS All Products Associated with this Investigation close Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s) HONDA ACCORD 2008 Details Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) SUMMARY: ODI has identified 19 VOQ reports alleging failure of the air bag SRS control module. One of the reports involved a frontal crash event where the frontal air bags did not deploy. The crash resulted in an injury to the driver and lone occupant, and the vehicle was subsequently inspected by the agency. According to the reports, the failure of the SRS module is indicated by the air bag readiness indicator lamp illuminating on the instrument panel. Consumers report the SRS control module had to be replaced to correct the condition. Several reports indicated that the SRS module was unable to communicate thus preventing diagnostic trouble codes from being retrieved. An inability of the SRS unit to communicate raises concern about the readiness of the entire supplemental restraints system. As a result, for vehicles with a failed SRS module, some or all of the air bags may be unavailable in a crash warranting deployment. ODI is opening this investigation to further evaluate the scope, frequency, and consequence of the alleged SRS module failures.

Honda reports $1.9 billion profit in first quarter despite sales lag at home

Ford, General Motors and Chrysler have been living in a world of sunshine and buttercups after their April-through-June financials hit the newswire, and Toyota is doing pretty good as well. Honda? Not so much.
While Japan's third-largest manufacturer saw $1.9 billion in profits, the 5.1-percent jump was lower than expected thanks to a drop in its home-market sales. US sales also took a sting, as Honda hasn't been able to match the SUV and truck demand that are currently permeating the American market, despite an uptick in Accord sales.
Honda's initial forecasts targeted a take of 209.3 billion yen ($2.1 billion at today's rates), and while a $200 million shortfall is nothing to sniff at, we'd hardly take this as Honda being in trouble. And even with the dip, Honda hasn't adjusted its forecast for the fiscal year, which remains at 780 billion yen ($7.9 billion).

Honda S660 proving popular with middle-age Japanese buyers

The S660 roadster has been a success so far for Honda. (At least, that is, insofar as a niche-market sports car limited to the Japanese Domestic Market can be considered a big seller.) It just hasn't resonated with the customers that the company expected. Honda revealed the S660 in concept form at the Tokyo Motor Show nearly two years ago, and subsequently put it into production. The convertible Kei car pays homage to models like the S500, S2000, and Beat. It packs a tiny 660cc three-cylinder engine mounted amidships and driving the rear wheels. Despite its connection to past models, the S660 features an entirely modern design that, along with its low price, was expected to appeal to younger buyers. But while Honda has already sold out all 8,600 examples it's slated to build this year, a surprising 80 percent of them have been snapped up by customers over the age of 40 who are mostly buying them as second cars. The development is not entirely isolated. As Bloomberg points out, the number of licensed drivers in Japan "under the age of 40 has fallen 46 percent over the last 13 years." Those are rather startling numbers that dwindle the market down for youth-oriented vehicles like the S660. Honda is expected to begin taking orders for next year's allocation of S660s in October. At that point, the company anticipates the average age of its customer base will drop. But with fewer young drivers on the road in Japan, it shouldn't expect it to drop by much.