NHTSA to 300,000 Honda, Acura owners: Don't drive cars until airbags are replaced (breaking)
If you own any of the following list of cars, the NHTSA has an urgent message for you.
DO NOT drive them until you get the airbag replaced.
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These cars have an extremely high risk of their airbags exploding, the agency says.
2001-2002 Honda Accord
2001-2002 Honda Civic
2002 Honda CR-V
2002 Honda Odyssey
2003 Honda Pilot
2003 Acura CL
2002-2003 Acura TL
According to the Federal safety agency, its most recent tests indicate that the Takata airbags in these specific models have a far greater risk of exploding and injuring or killing the driver or a passenger.
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While the chance of explosion for most Takata airbags is less than 1 percent, it says, the rate for the bags in these specific vehicles is now more than 50 percent.
That poses an immediate and imminent danger to drivers and front-seat passengers.
Eight of the 10 deaths identified thus far as due to Takata airbags occurred in vehicles with the specific model fitted in these cars, all of which is now at least 13 years old.
According to the agency, Honda has enough replacement parts to eliminate the risk in these cars.
More than 300,000 of these cars remain on the road 13 to 16 years after they were built, according to the NHTSA.
They are only a small fraction of the total of 70 million airbags that have been or must be recalled, it said.
Those replacements are not expected to be completed until 2019, because the needed parts are not yet available.
Owners of the affected vehicles who have not already had the airbags replaced should park them and contact their Honda dealer to make arrangements for an immediate service appointment, for which they will not be charged.
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