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Automakers Recall 3.4 Million Cars Due To Airbags

Automakers Recall 3.4 Million Cars Due To Airbags

The most recent in a string of major automaker vehicle recalls is due to an airbag defect. Honda reported one crash resulting from the defect but there have been no reported injuries or deaths. Toyota stated it was recalling 1.7 million vehicles globally, including Matrix, Corolla and Camry models. Nissan recalled approximately 480,000 cars and Mazda added an additional 45,000 from their lineup.

Honda, which is recalling more than 1.1 million vehicles, said in a statement, "It is possible that the passenger front airbag inflators in affected vehicles may deploy with too much pressure, which may cause the inflator casing to rupture and could result in injury."

A majority of the recalled cars appear to be from the 2001 through 2003 model years. Honda conducted prior recalls starting in 2008 for a similar defect in the driver side airbag.

All manufactures will identify which vehicles are affected by the recall and contact customers directly. Some of the vehicles already identified include 2001 to 2003 Civics and CR-Vs and 2002 Odyssey minivans. In the U.S., Nissan is recalling 2001 to 2003 Sentras, Pathfinders, Maximas, Infiniti QX4s and Infiniti I35s. Mazda is recalling 147 2003 and 2004 Mazda6 sedans and two 2004 Mazda RX-8s. Toyota is recalling some 2001 to 2003 Matrixes, Corollas, Tundra pickups and Lexus CS430s.

Other auto manufactures using the same airbag inflators affected by the recall are General Motors and BMW. Manufactured at the same plant as the Toyota Matrix, 48,000 Pontiac Vibes are being recalled.

This is Toyota's third major recall in as many years. The first was an October recall of 7.43 million cars due to a possible fire risk resulting from a power window issue. The second and most damaging was when more than 8 million vehicles were recalled for a potential sticky accelerator pedal problem.