Latest Airbag Recall Could Affect Millions, and It's Not From Takata

CARS.COM — A major new airbag recall could affect owners of nearly 2 million vehicles in the U.S., and it’s not from Takata. It’s important that you get the problem fixed with Continental airbag systems, but some of the automakers involved have yet to announce all the U.S. vehicles that need repair.

Related: More Recall News

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration posted notices this week from German auto supplier Continental that some of its airbag control units — each of which controls all the airbags in a vehicle — are susceptible to corrosion in the components that power them. That, in turn, could cause the airbags and possibly the seat belt pretensioners (which tighten your belt at impact) to fail to deploy or — for at least two automakers — deploy when they shouldn’t.

Continental built the airbag control units from 2006 through 2010, according to filings posted by NHTSA. The agency said some 5 million cars could be involved, but Continental said that’s a global total. Continental spokeswoman Mary Arraf told Cars.com the problem “potentially impacts less than 2 million vehicles” in the U.S.

In the Jan. 25 notice to NHTSA, Continental listed six automakers that had purchased the defective controllers: Honda, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Mercedes-Benz, Mazda, Volkswagen Group and Volvo Trucks, a maker of heavy commercial vehicles unrelated to the Volvo car company.

A separate Jan. 25 filing included Kia, but Continental says the brand has no affected U.S. cars.

Beyond that, Continental did not specify the cars involved. “As a supplier, we have provided all the pertinent information to all potentially impacted vehicle manufacturers,” Arraf said. “Each manufacturer determines whether a safety-related defect exists in their vehicles.”

Automakers that have issued vehicle recalls for the component so far:

• Honda issued a recall this week for some 340,000 Accord sedans from the 2008-2010 model years for Continental’s potentially defective airbag control units. The automaker said in a statement that the recall is to replace “the supplemental restraint systems electronic control unit,” whose circuitry is susceptible to corrosion and malfunctions.
• FCA also issued a recall for some 112,000 Dodge Journey SUVs and various Dodge and Chrysler minivans, as well as Routan minivans it built for Volkswagen, for occupant restraint controller components that could inadvertently deploy.
• Mercedes-Benz recalled some 126,000 model-year 2008-2009 C-Class cars and 2010 GLK-Class SUVs in October 2015 for corrosion in the components that power the airbag control units, leading to airbags that may not deploy in a crash or may inadvertently deploy when they aren’t supposed to.

Spokespeople for all three automakers confirmed these recalls are part of Continental’s larger airbag control unit recall.

To fix the problem, dealers will replace the defective airbag control units. But the question is when?

“We are ramping up production of the service part and are working individually with each customer to determine time and volume,” Arraf said. However, Continental has not yet provided a notification schedule to automakers, according to NHTSA.

Honda said parts won’t be available until this fall, and neither FCA nor Mercedes-Benz provided a replacement schedule.

Also, the vehicle recalls announced so far add up to fewer than 600,000 cars. Where are the rest?

We contacted the other automakers listed in Continental’s Jan. 25 NHTSA report. A Volkswagen spokesman said the brand has issued no recalls related to this except for the FCA-built Routan. An Audi spokesman told us the brand hasn’t yet made a determination on the Continental recall, and two Porsche spokespeople did not respond. (Audi and Porsche are the Volkswagen Group’s other major brands in the U.S.)

Mazda’s Tamara Mlynarczyk told us the company is “aware of the recall and [is] currently investigating” what to do.