Honda Malaysia has announced a recall of 58,140 cars to replace faulty airbag inflators. In a statement on their website, Honda mentioned that all affected customers will be notified by a formal letter. Those who receive one should head over to their nearest Honda dealer as soon as possible for an inspection and possible replacement of the affected airbag inflators.

The models affected are:

In mid-2015, Honda issued three separate precautionary recalls in May, June, and July totalling 278,064 units needing to be replaced due to faulty driver and passenger Takata airbag inflators in various models. These Takata inflators have been the cause of various injuries and deaths in the past few years outside of Malaysia, and Honda has been recalling various models to replace the inflators with newer ones. Recalls in Malaysia were precautionary measures, according to Honda Malaysia.

However, earlier this year, Honda confirmed that two people died in Malaysia due to injuries caused by ruptured Takata inflators. The cars were involved in two separate crashes, one in Sabah on 16th April 2016 and another in Kedah on 1st May 2016. Both the cars were included in earlier recalls – one was recalled on 8th December 2014 and the other on 21st May 2015. Presumably, the owners did not send in their cars to be inspected, so the faulty inflators ruptured in the crash, severely injuring the drivers.

March 2016 recall to replace batteries

This is the second recall issued this year by Honda Malaysia. The first recall in March 2016 was to replace batteries in 93,929 units. The company ensured customers that no accidents or injuries have been reported in Malaysia because of faulty Honda batteries, and that this recall was merely a proactive measure.

If you own a vehicle that might be affected, you can call Honda’s Toll Free line (1-800-88-200) to check if your car needs a product update. Honda also assures customers that all the cost of parts and labour will be borne by Honda. If you drive a Honda or know someone who does, please do not delay in getting your vehicle inspected.