Is this Honda Airbag Recall necessary?
We will not answer that question with a definitive ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
However, consider these facts….
- This is currently a voluntary action by the car manufacturer. No one is forcing American Honda Motor Company to administrate this. This recall is, at this point, 100% the decision of the car manufacturer.
- The manufacturer of the airbag is the one paying for this corrective action. Their airbags are in question. They were the supplier of the airbag. If they want to keep supplying airbags and seatbelt components to this car manufacturer’s assembly line, then they are obliged to take care of this issue. The airbag supplier is the one funding the majority, if not all the costs associated with this recall.
- From a PR (public relations) view, American Honda Motor Company looks like a big giant hero that cares about safety. Many of the cars that the Honda Airbag Recall covers are older models that are well out of manufacturer warranty obligations.
If you are a car manufacturer then you rely on a certain number of consumers to have brand loyalty. If you can contact a known owner of an older model of car that you built, tell them to go to their local franchised dealer to have a voluntary safety recall performed, that costs the consumer nothing and costs you nothing; then what is the chance that during the time that the recall is being performed, the owner of the older car is in the showroom, shopping the new Honda car line-up?
It’s a win, win situation.
Legitimate safety issue? — The car owner wins
From a PR perspective? — American Honda Motor Company wins
If a new Honda vehicle is sold to the customer waiting for the recall to be completed? — The Honda franchised car dealer and the car manufacturer both win.