In a tersely-worded statement released yesterday (see below), Honda Malaysia confirmed that the Honda vehicles in which two individuals tragically lost their lives (in separate incidents) had not undergone the Takata airbag recall, and that in both cases, the single-stage driver’s airbag inflator had indeed ruptured.
While the cause of the deaths has yet to be officially determined or revealed by the authorities, Honda Malaysia is urging owners of affected vehicles to get their cars fixed as soon as possible, or to immediately check if their cars fall under any recall. We contacted Honda Malaysia to obtain further insights into the status of the recall and their efforts to get owners notified.
What is the total number of vehicles affected, and what is the percentage of completion:
The total number of vehicles affected by the airbag recall is 240,832 units (in Malaysia); the completion rate is approximately 20%.
What has Honda Malaysia done thus far to notify owners of the recall?
Various product update campaigns have been undertaken (which are still on-going), they include:
1. Direct mailers from our Honda Malaysia database to affected customers. We are also working with authorities to obtain the latest ownership database.
2. Press release is issued to all media outlets (print, broadcast, online, etc.) each time there is a recall, in both Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia.
3. The Honda Malaysia website has a dedicated tab; a product update slide is also permanently displayed on our home screen where customers can check whether their vehicles are affected.
4. Product update information is constantly circulated in Honda owners’ magazine.
5. A dedicated booth for customers to check (on-the-spot) whether their cars are affected at all Honda Malaysia on-ground events and roadshows.