Honda recalls 1.2 million vehicles with dangerous air bags, more details inside

Honda is recalling about 1.2 million vehicles in North and Central America because their Takata air bag inflators can explode and send shrapnel into the passenger compartment.

The recall covers many Honda and Acura models from 2001 through 2016. Takata used ammonium nitrate to inflate air bags. But the chemical can deteriorate when exposed to high temperatures and humidity, blowing apart a metal canister and hurling shrapnel.

At least 23 people have been killed worldwide because of the defect. The inflators covered by this recall were used as replacement parts in recalls that began in 2014. They contained a moisture-absorbing chemical and previously were believed to be safe. The January explosion injured the arm of a person driving a 2004 Honda Odyssey.

Recently, Japanese carmaker Honda has finally launched the tenth generation of its popular sedan Civic in the Indian market for a starting price of Rs 17,69 lakh. The bookings for the 2019 Honda Civic began from February 15 across all dealerships in the country at Rs 31,000. The company has already received almost 1,100 booking so far and the iconic sedan will be manufactured at Honda’s Greater Noida plant. The car will be in direct competition with Skoda Octavia, Toyota Corolla Altis and Hyundai Elantra.

The car has witnessed several exterior and interior changes from the previous generation. The tenth generation of Honda Civic will come in both petrol and diesel engine options. The petrol engine will have a 1.8-litre i-VTEC petrol motor which can produce 141 PS of power at 6500 rpm and 174 Nm of torque at 4300 rpm. The engine is mated with a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission).

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Pricing of the new 2019 Honda Civic begins from Rs 17.7 lakh for the petrol variant while the diesel variant starts from Rs 20.5 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

Color options for the 2019 Honda Civic includes Platinum White Pearl, Lunar Silver Metallic, Modern Steel Metallic, Radiant Red Metallic, Golden Brown Metallic.

On safety front, the all-new Honda Civic comes with six airbags, advanced compatibility engineering (ACE) body, vehicle stability assist (VSA), agile handle assist (AHA), hill start assist (HSA), anti-lock braking system (ABS) with electronic brake distribution (EBD) and brake assist (BA), auto headlamps, motion-adaptive electric power steering (EPS), rear seat ISOFIX/ child seat anchorage with tether, rain sensing wiper and auto dimming IRVM.

(With inputs from PTI)