Honda Cars Philippines recalls 77 Civic units

MANILA, Philippines - Honda Motor Co., Ltd. in Japan recently announced a voluntary safety recall of some Honda Civic models. This is due to a defect in the passenger airbag SRS inflator containers that may rupture and cause some component parts to pop out upon deployment.

Consequently, Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. would like to inform its customers that 77 units of Civic 1.6 VTi-S produced locally from 2001-2002 are affected.

Findings show that the inflator did not have the specified amount of propellant which may cause it to accelerate at the time of deployment and subsequently cause the inflator container to rupture.

There has been no known or reported case of abnormal deployment or injury related to this defect in the Philippines or elsewhere worldwide. With the total safety of Honda vehicle users as priority at all times, HCPI is taking this voluntary safety recall to replace SRS parts of affected units.

Letters of notice were sent to concerned Civic owners starting August 16, 2010. To conduct the recall in an orderly manner, customers are requested to call their respective dealers, or the Honda Hotline at 1-800-1000-Honda (46632) or (02) 857-7240 and visit the Honda website, www.hondaphil.com, for inquiries and details of scheduling. Replacement of affected parts will be carried out in all 27 authorized dealers and 3 service centers nationwide, free of charge.

Owners of Civic models not included in the recall have no reason to worry since different inflator specifications were used. Other Honda models such as the City, Jazz, Accord, CR-V, Pilot, Odyssey and HR-V sold and distributed by Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. are likewise not affected.