Honda Expands Airbag Recall Nationwide, Takata Tests Show Higher Defect Rates

Hiroshi Shimizu, Takata’s senior vice president of global good quality assurance, testifies ahead of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on December 3.

With Takata denying a federal request to recall more of its driver’s-side airbags, Honda has agreed to do so by expanding its regional recalls and calling all automakers to help a third-party audit that would speed up components testing and properly determine the shrapnel-shooting airbags.

As of last Wednesday, the National Highway Visitors Safety Administration had provided Takata until midnight last evening to expand the recall and had pressured half of the 10 impacted automakers to do the same. While NHTSA maintains that passenger-side airbags do not pose a coast-to-coast problem, Takata senior vice president Hiroshi Shimizu rebuffed NHTSA’s claims that a number of million driver’s-side airbags now demonstrate a national safety danger.

“Based on the information we are collecting from the region, the data nonetheless help that we must remain focused on the region with higher humidity,” Shimizu stated in a hearing today to the Residence Committee on Energy and Commerce.

To date, Takata has tested roughly 4000 inflators recovered from automobiles in “high humidity” regions of the south and Gulf Coast and said that all of the approximately 400 driver’s-side inflators had performed as designed. But of the remaining 3600 passenger-side inflators, Shimizu said that “less than 60″ had ruptured—which, at 1.67 % of the sample, is a quite higher failure price in manufacturing. NHTSA had sent a recall request to Takata final month soon after a driver of a 2007 Ford Mustang outdoors of the regional recall was injured by a 2-inch metal shard. In the U.S., 4 folks have died from the defective Takata inflators—all of them in Honda vehicles—and at least 139 injuries have been reported across all automakers.

“The proof is the dilemma isn’t limited to areas of absolute, higher humidity,” NHTSA deputy administrator David Friedman stated at the hearing. Friedman mentioned he would pursue fines, which can run up to $ 7000 per day, if Takata does not comply with an expanded recall.

So far, only Toyota has seconded Honda’s request for outdoors testing but did not expand any of its recalls. Takata stated it would type an independent panel to scrutinize top quality checks, recommend greatest practices at its facilities, and publish the final results at a later date. As part of NHTSA’s investigation, the company has till December 5 to supply the agency with particulars on its manufacturing processes and to reveal employee names who worked on the production line when the faulty airbags had been manufactured. All 10 automakers have also been ordered to submit test benefits from the regional recalls by December 5, hence Honda’s cry for a group work. Honda is below a separate investigation by NHTSA for omitting 1729 death and injury reports for far more than a decade, a dilemma the business mentioned nowadays was due to poor employee oversight, and for not specifically mentioning airbag-related deaths and injuries in previous recalls.

In August, a 2007 Ford Mustang driver was injured by this 2-inch metal fragment from a faulty Takata airbag.

Despite months of testing—plus years of related investigations by Takata and Honda that stretch back to 2004—neither Takata nor the automakers have a definitive answer as to why the airbags are exploding shrapnel. Shimizu said Takata is testing about 25 inflators per day and is currently on track to ship out 350,000 replacements per month and will ramp up to 450,000 by January. If each automaker issues national airbag recalls, Takata has agreed to contract with suppliers Autoliv and Daicel to feed the demand.

Although numerous of Takata’s current airbag inflators use the synthetic compound Tetrazole, Shimizu mentioned there was nothing unsafe about the ammonium nitrate utilized in the faulty inflators, only that “manufacturing processes and humidity control in the plant” had caused the problem. When Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) revealed comments from Takata engineers in 1999 who raised doubts about ammonium nitrate, which includes that it “predisposes this propellant to break apart” and that it could “blow up,” Shimizu said he did not remember seeing them. Final month, a Takata official stated the replacement airbag inflators had a revised chemical compound but have been still primarily based on ammonium nitrate. Shimizu mentioned the replacements have the exact same propellant as just before.

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“I’m quite confident that merchandise on the current production line should operate as made and are secure,” Shimizu said.

With regard to allegations that business workers destroyed information after discovering faulty airbags in 2004, Shimizu denied there was “any secret test” and stated the company did conduct tests at that time related to a separate difficulty in which airbag cushions have been tearing on BMW models.

Honda Expands Airbag Recall Nationwide, Takata Tests Show Higher Defect Rates

Honda Expands Airbag Recall Nationwide, Takata Tests Show High Defect Rates

Hiroshi Shimizu, Takata’s senior vice president of global quality assurance, testifies prior to the House Energy and Commerce Committee on December 3.

With Takata denying a federal request to recall more of its driver’s-side airbags, Honda has agreed to do so by expanding its regional recalls and calling all automakers to help a third-party audit that would speed up parts testing and properly determine the shrapnel-shooting airbags.

As of last Wednesday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had provided Takata till midnight last night to expand the recall and had pressured half of the 10 impacted automakers to do the exact same. Even though NHTSA maintains that passenger-side airbags do not pose a coast-to-coast dilemma, Takata senior vice president Hiroshi Shimizu rebuffed NHTSA’s claims that numerous million driver’s-side airbags now demonstrate a national safety threat.

“Based on the information we are collecting from the area, the data nevertheless support that we need to stay focused on the area with higher humidity,” Shimizu said in a hearing these days to the Residence Committee on Energy and Commerce.

To date, Takata has tested roughly 4000 inflators recovered from automobiles in “high humidity” regions of the south and Gulf Coast and mentioned that all of the about 400 driver’s-side inflators had performed as made. But of the remaining 3600 passenger-side inflators, Shimizu said that “less than 60″ had ruptured—which, at 1.67 percent of the sample, is a really high failure rate in manufacturing. NHTSA had sent a recall request to Takata final month right after a driver of a 2007 Ford Mustang outdoors of the regional recall was injured by a 2-inch metal shard. In the U.S., 4 folks have died from the defective Takata inflators—all of them in Honda vehicles—and at least 139 injuries have been reported across all automakers.

“The proof is the dilemma isn’t restricted to locations of absolute, high humidity,” NHTSA deputy administrator David Friedman mentioned at the hearing. Friedman mentioned he would pursue fines, which can run up to $ 7000 per day, if Takata does not comply with an expanded recall.

So far, only Toyota has seconded Honda’s request for outside testing but did not expand any of its recalls. Takata said it would kind an independent panel to scrutinize top quality checks, advocate very best practices at its facilities, and publish the outcomes at a later date. As element of NHTSA’s investigation, the organization has till December 5 to give the agency with specifics on its manufacturing processes and to reveal employee names who worked on the production line when the faulty airbags had been manufactured. All 10 automakers have also been ordered to submit test results from the regional recalls by December 5, therefore Honda’s cry for a group effort. Honda is under a separate investigation by NHTSA for omitting 1729 death and injury reports for much more than a decade, a dilemma the firm said right now was due to poor employee oversight, and for not specifically mentioning airbag-connected deaths and injuries in previous recalls.

In August, a 2007 Ford Mustang driver was injured by this 2-inch metal fragment from a faulty Takata airbag.

Despite months of testing—plus years of related investigations by Takata and Honda that stretch back to 2004—neither Takata nor the automakers have a definitive answer as to why the airbags are exploding shrapnel. Shimizu mentioned Takata is testing about 25 inflators per day and is at the moment on track to ship out 350,000 replacements per month and will ramp up to 450,000 by January. If every single automaker issues national airbag recalls, Takata has agreed to contract with suppliers Autoliv and Daicel to feed the demand.

Even though many of Takata’s present airbag inflators use the synthetic compound Tetrazole, Shimizu stated there was nothing unsafe about the ammonium nitrate utilized in the faulty inflators, only that “manufacturing processes and humidity handle in the plant” had triggered the difficulty. When Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) revealed comments from Takata engineers in 1999 who raised doubts about ammonium nitrate, which includes that it “predisposes this propellant to break apart” and that it could “blow up,” Shimizu stated he did not remember seeing them. Last month, a Takata official said the replacement airbag inflators had a revised chemical compound but have been still based on ammonium nitrate. Shimizu said the replacements have the identical propellant as prior to.

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“I’m really confident that items on the present production line ought to operate as created and are protected,” Shimizu said.

With regard to allegations that company workers destroyed information following discovering faulty airbags in 2004, Shimizu denied there was “any secret test” and stated the organization did conduct tests at that time associated to a separate difficulty in which airbag cushions have been tearing on BMW models.

Honda Expands Airbag Recall Nationwide, Takata Tests Show High Defect Rates

Electric Cars a Mixed Bag in Very first Front-Corner Crash Tests

Final results were so-so for 2 tiny electric auto models that underwent their first-ever front-corner crash tests, according to a recent Insurance Institute for Highway Security (IIHS) report.

The plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt got an “acceptable” rating, and the EV Nissan Leaf got a “poor” rating in the “small overlap test,” which was made to be tougher than other crash tests carried out by the IIHS. The tiny overlap assesses frontal collisions in between a vehicle’s corner and objects like light poles.

The Volt and Leaf are the initial electric models tested by the modest overlap crash. Considering that its introduction in 2012, the test has stumped a handful of automobile models and types, especially smaller sized-sized vehicles.

Related Story: Most Minicars Flunk Frontal Crash Test

“Electric vehicles have a exclusive challenge in the little overlap test simply because of their heavy batteries,” Joe Nolan, senior vice president for vehicle research at IIHS, mentioned in a statement. “The Volt performed reasonably effectively, earning an acceptable rating, while the Leaf struggled.”

The Volt showed low danger of substantial injuries simply because the driver compartment “maintained reasonably effectively” in the crash test, according to the Institute.

The Leaf, nonetheless, was a diverse story. In the crash test, the Institute said, many places of the automobile have been “pushed back” into the driver compartment that could outcome in injuries to the driver’s left leg.

The Volt model, which has the choice of a forward-collision warning technique, was the only 1 of the group to get a 2014 Top Safety Choose+ award.

The 2 electric cars had been part of a crop of 12 small vehicle models recently tested by the Institute.

The Mini Cooper Countryman was the only vehicle model to get the Institute’s highest general rating of “good.” It was also a Best Safety Choose. Here is the listing of the automobile models that have been awarded Best Safety Picks:

• Mini Cooper Countryman


• Ford C-Max Hybrid


• Mitsubishi Lancer


• Scion FR-S


• Subaru BRZ

Photo courtesy of Kārlis Dambrāns

Electric Cars a Mixed Bag in Very first Front-Corner Crash Tests

The Best 30 New Automobiles Beneath $30K: Comparisons, Tests, and Much more!

For less than the value of the typical new automobile, you could have one of these great new automobiles. Heck, get 2.

• ROY RITCHIE,


• A.J. MUELLER ,


• MARC URBANO, AND


• THE Producers

First, the negative news:

The typical new-auto transaction price tag in the U.S. has crept above $ 30,000, which is about 2 grand much more than it was 5 years ago, and sufficient to make inflation look like it’s not even attempting. But these escalating MSRPs aren’t solely due to carmaker greed­ they are the price of meeting increasingly difficult safety, functionality, and fuel-economy targets. Now the great news: If the typical is $ 30,000, that means a entire lot of new cars cost much less than that. And most benefit from these identical safety, performance, and economy advances. Much more and more, it seems like below $ 30K is the spot to be. Right here are 30 cars that prove it.

Mazda MX-5 Miata

Base Cost: $ 24,515
Reputation does not constantly equal greatness—we’re seeking at you, Toyota Camry—but the Miata is virtually the Beatles of mainstream automotive excellence. Although other droptops occasionally outsold it, couple of have been as enduringly endearing as the Miata, which claims more than 385,000 U.S. sales because 1989.

How to construct your $ 30,000 Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ

In our road test of Subaru’s rear-drive coupe, we concluded that “the BRZ’s balance of attributes demands no tweaking.” So if you’re going to modify the car, it is ideal to proceed with caution.

Hyundai Genesis 2.0T R-Spec

Base Price tag: $ 28,095
The Genesis coupe is the higher-college jock who administers wedgies to the violin-playing Subaru BRZ. Hyundai counters the Subie’s chassis dexterity with a torquey, belching turbocharged 4 excellent for 274 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of twist. The $ 28,095 R-Spec model bulks up with a limited-slip differential, 19-inch wheels, and front camber-adjustment bolts. There’s absolutely nothing else like it at this value, at least till Subaru turns out a BRZ STI.

Chevrolet Camaro V-6

Base Price tag: $ 26,850
We could fill this space with AC/DC lyrics because, let’s face it, Camaro individuals will purchase Camaros regardless of what we write. But if you are searching for affirmation, know that given that the Camaro’s 2010 revival, Chevrolet has improved the V-6 pony car with a new steering wheel, legible gauges, and an extra 19 horsepower. For 2014, new fascias beget a a lot more contemporary look for the sinister chopped-leading ’Maro.

2015 Volkswagen GTI: A Stickler for Specifics

Base Price: $ 25,215
Cars are nothing at all far more and absolutely nothing less than 30,000 inanimate pieces joined collectively to make one thing kinetic, which signifies 30,000 opportunities for one thing to go wrong. The folks who engineered the new, 6th-generation Volkswagen GTI comprehend this. The car feels as if it have been conceived by people kept up at evening by the terror of imperfection. Every stalk, each and every knob, each cubic inch of interior space appears optimized and worried over. Get in the GTI and you will be tempted to focus on these details—the stitching on the steering wheel, the knurled rubber surfaces, the maximized cargo hold. But bend it into a corner, and all these parts meld into one thing fluid and cohesive as the automobile comes charging to life. The new GTI is far more than the sum of its 30,000 parts, each and every of which is one thing unto itself. —Eddie Alterman

Chevrolet Spark EV

Base Value: $ 27,495
Consider of Chevy’s battery-powered Spark EV as a millennial muscle car, an electro-GTO, if you will. Whilst a normal Spark ambles along with a gutless 84-hp 1.2-liter engine delivering 83 pound-feet of torque, the EV version drops in a creamy and effortless 141-hp electric motor with 400 pound-feet, zapping the car to 60 mph in 7.9 seconds.

Electrification transforms the Spark into a car that proudly celebrates its smallness. Instant energy and fun-size dimensions transform city corners into apexes and Elantras into back markers. And yet, no matter how difficult you’re running it, the electric motor is strong and silent, providing luxury-automobile levels of quiet. Gone are the coarse toilings of the regular Spark’;s 4-cylinder engine whipping itself toward 6500 rpm.

A reasonably huge 21-kWh battery gives a real-globe 66 miles of variety, and the cost undercuts the competitors. It is a comfy tiny auto, as well, with a supple ride and an airy cabin. An LCD show borrowed from the Volt keeps you aware of how considerably power you are employing. What we like most about the electrified Spark is this: EVs that encourage bad behavior are handful of and far among, but this small Chevy could practically be your Vegas wingman. —Tony Quiroga

2015 Subaru WRX

Base Price: $ 27,090
You probably shouldn’t jump it. But other than that, the new Subaru WRX faithfully emulates its late rally-automobile muse. On gravel, snow, or asphalt, it transforms its driver into a person with an unpronounceable Scandinavian name. This is the reasonably priced all-weather sports automobile.

Ford Fusion Hybrid

Base Price: $ 27,095
The very best point we can say about a hybrid is that it feels like a standard vehicle. But with its lusty sheetmetal, generous folks space front and rear, high-tech powertrain, and engaging road manners, the Fusion hybrid doesn’t really feel like a regular vehicle. It feels like a great a single.

Honda Accord Sport

Value: $ 24,505
The 2.4-liter 4 sounds refined and returns an estimated 34 mpg on the highway. The 6-speed manual is much more satisfying than the sticks you will find in many sports vehicles. And the handling balance is fully unexpected in such a cavernous and practical household sedan—unless you’ve owned Hondas before. The Accord is just about perfect.

Mazda 6

Base Price: $ 21,785
We’ll forgive a lot for a pretty face, but the gorgeous Mazda 6 asks us to forgive so small. Its twisty-tarmac behavior is just as fascinating as its shape. Loved ones life looks better with a Mazda 6.

Volkswagen Beetle R-Line

Base Price: $ 25,815
“R-Line” is VW’s way of saying “2.-liter turbocharged.” And “Beetle R-Line” is its way of saying “Jetta GLI coupe.” With 210 horses, a multilink rear suspension like that on the prime-spec Jetta, and the existing-gen car’s funky, significantly less feminine shape, the Beetle R-Line is the iconoclast’s spending budget sports coupe.

Ford Concentrate ST

Ford’s Fiesta ST is reduce from the same flame-retardant cloth as this Concentrate ST. Both are gymnastically poised and agile, and both prove that America has lastly gotten its head around the little-automobile business.

Mazda 3

Base Value: $ 17,740
The Mazda 3 is no stranger to excellence. Watch the evolution of the comeback kid in this quick history of our tests in the turbulent small-sedan pool [beneath].

Honda Civic Si

Base Price tag: $ 23,580
This is an anomaly among pocket-rockets. Most of its competitors are turbocharged, and few are accessible as coupes. With 2 or 4 doors, the Civic Si delivers a higher-winding, naturally aspirated 4, the sweetest 6-speed manual in the Milky Way, and revelatory handling.

Chevy Sonic RS hatchback

Base Price tag: $ 21,150
Any Sonic is unexpectedly satisfying, but upgrading to the RS gets you a lower, stiffer suspension a close-ratio 6-speed manual and a bunch of physique add-ons. The spoiler, fascias, and 17-inch wheels give the hatch much more visual punch. You can get it as a sedan, as well, but there’s an adolescent awkwardness to the 4-door’s appear.

Ram 1500 Express

Base Cost: $ 28,115
If you can not see the positive aspects of a bench seat, your imagination has failed you. This Ram may possibly be one particular step from a function truck, but with a regular 5.7-liter V-8 and a 9000-pound tow rating, there is small work this spending budget pickup cannot accomplish. And it does burnouts.

Subaru Forester XT

Base Price: $ 28,820
Subaru’s hot-rod ute lost some heat when the newest model went wholly CVT. Nevertheless, it’s the quickest 5-door ute on our list.

Mazda CX-5

Base Price: $ 22,225
Mazda hit a property run right here: It is undefeated in 2 comparison tests. All CX-5s begin under $ 30,000 and feature a chassis that’s a lot more MX-5 than mini-ute. If you can swing it, go for the 2.5-liter simply because the 2. version is a snail.

VW Tiguan

Base Price tag: $ 24,170
This is what happens when a GTI sucks on an air hose. Numerous GTI traits carry more than, and the torquey 2.-liter brings a level of refinement absent from most of the Tiguan’s classmates.

Toyota FJ Cruiser

Base Price: $ 29,785
Off-roading is enjoyable till your car says “no más!” The FJ has the chops to crawl with Jeeps thanks to its big knobby tires and limited-slip diffs. Act quickly if you want a new FJ, since 2014 is its final production year.

Mini Paceman

Base Price: $ 24,095
This is the 3-door version of the bigger 5-door version of a regular 3-door Cooper. (Confused however?) Mini’s spunky chassis is slightly softened right here, which is a very good thing if your commute contains potholes.

Kia Soul

Base Price tag: $ 15,695

Nissan Juke

Base Value: $ 19,980
Slightly round or actually curvy, each the Soul and Juke offer bountiful utility and carlike behavior. A single blends in far more. Can you guess which?

VW Jetta SportWagen TDI

Base Price: $ 27,385
Show us a vehicle that can carry 67 cubic feet of cargo and effortlessly surpass 40 mpg on the highway, and we’ll show you the diesel Jetta SportWagen. It is much more fun to drive than something remotely as effective, which explains its cult following.

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The Best 30 New Automobiles Beneath $30K: Comparisons, Tests, and Much more!

Manufacturers cheating fuel tests

6/05/14

By Verena Vogt

A Brussels-primarily based transport stress group has accused automobile producers of cheating the program in a bid to meet emission targets and trick motorists into getting their automobiles.

Transport & Atmosphere (T&E), which is promoting sustainable policies in the sector, mentioned motorists are obtaining to devote up to a quarter a lot more on petrol than official carbon dioxide figures suggest.

New figures claim that a common new car sold in Europe final year came with carbon dioxide emissions of 127g/km, which signifies motorists need to be capable to drive a distance of 56.5 miles per gallon of petrol.

This would recommend that automobile producers have  currently exceeded the 130g/km target set for 2015.

Tricks to boost mpg

Nonetheless, T&E’;s own study found that the actual average is far decrease, at about 45 miles per gallon.

The campaign group stated this is achieved by a variety of tricks.

These consist of taping over gaps in the panel to decrease wind resistance, utilizing ultra-low-friction oils in the gearbox or engine, and angling the wheels to minimize the amount of tyre which is in make contact with with the road.

TNO, a Dutch test organisation, found that these strategies are employed whilst the test vehicle is being driven to establish its “road load curve”.

The data, which is linked to the testing-laboratory’;s rolling road, is then entered into a personal computer programme, and the reduce-than-regular road load curve leads to  far better CO2 and mpg figures.

‘Standards getting undermined’;

In a statement, T&E’;s clean cars manager Greg Archer said: “Fuel efficiency standards…are getting undermined by an obsolete test.

“The test procedures are a Swiss cheese, full of loopholes, that car makers exploit to exaggerate improvements in fuel economy and emissions.”

The European Commission now desires to introduce a new test within 3 years’; time which it is hoped will much more closely reflect true-world driving.

Even so, the proposals are being opposed by auto companies, which do not want the new test to be introduced until  soon after 2021 – when they must reduce carbon dioxide emissions of all new cars to an average of 95g/km or threat getting fined.

1 way to keep away from prosecution over CO2 emission would be for companies to sell much more electric automobiles.|

These do not emit any carbon dioxide and can be used to offset any sales of much more CO2-creating automobiles.

Manufacturers cheating fuel tests