Florida drivers of Hondas and Acuras made in the early 2000s need to stop driving them immediately and get their airbags replaced.
That’s the warning issued by the U.S. Transportation Secretary after recent tests showed they pose a high risk of hurting or killing drivers during crashes.
On Friday, the day after the announcement, Jacksonville’s Coggin Honda service department was busy with calls to schedule airbag replacements.
That’s a good thing because tests showed airbags in Florida and other hot, humid places are most likely to be defective.
Tens of millions of Takata airbag inflators were already under recall, but further tests showed the risk of their exploding and sending shrapnel into the driver during a crash is as high as 50 percent in some car models.
They are:
- 2001-2002 Honda Civic
- 2001-2002 Honda Accord
- 2002-2003 Acura TL
- 2002 Honda CR-V
- 2002 Honda Odyssey
- 2003 Acura CL
- 2003 Honda Pilot
The federal government estimates more than 300,000 drivers are at extreme risk for the potentially deadly defect. It’s blamed for killing eight people so far in the U.S.
