Honda to Recall 405,000 Vehicles Over Airbag System Glitch

Honda Motor Co said it is recalling about 405,400 vehicles, including the Odyssey minivan in the United States and three other countries, due to a glitch in the computer chip used in the airbag system.

Some 342,000 Honda Odysseys from the 2003 and 2004 model years in the United States and Canada are being recalled, as well as 63,400 Acura MDXs from model year 2003 in the United States, Canada, Japan and Australia.

Most of the recalled vehicles are in the United States, where 318,683 Odysseys and 55,935 Acura MDXs are affected.

A computer chip in the airbag control unit could malfunction when it receives electrical noise from other parts in the car, Honda said in a statement. As a result, driver and passenger seat airbags could deploy inadvertently, spokesman Tsuyoshi Hojo said.

The supplier of the computer chip was TRW.

Honda said it does not expect to have to issue any more recalls related to this issue.

No crashes have been reported related to the glitch, but several cases of injuries such as abrasions on the hand and fingers have been cited, he said.

Honda will install an electrical signal filter in the recalled vehicles, Hojo said.