Product safety recall: Hino 300 Series
Takata airbag issue sees voluntary recall of thousands more light-duty Hino modelsHino has issued a third voluntary product safety recall for Hino's 300 Series light-duty truck, the notice affecting some 6963 individual vehicles.
The recall is the latest in the Takata airbag saga that first came to light in May 2015, and which has seen hundreds of thousands of vehicles spanning numerous automotive brands recalled in the years since.
This recall concerns 300 Series models produced between October 31, 2013, and November 30, 2016, and is in addition to previous recalls issued for 2144 models manufactured between January and December 2013 (recalled in March 2018) and 2841 models manufactured between July 2011 and December 2012 (recalled in April 2017).
Takata filed for bankruptcy in late June 2017, after agreeing to a $1.3 billion settlement and pleading guilty to fraud, the company having deliberately concealed evidence that its airbags could explode with excessive force.
The issue gave rise to the biggest automotive recall in history – a recall that, it seems, is still ongoing.
The fault lies with the airbag inflator, says the ACCC.
"As it gets older, a combination of high temperatures and humidity can cause the airbag inflator propellant to degrade," states the product safety recall.
"If an affected vehicle is involved in a collision triggering the airbag, the metal inflator housing may explode/rupture under too much internal pressure.
"In the event that a defective airbag inflator ruptures, metal fragments may propel out through the airbag cushion towards the vehicle occupants causing serious injury or fatality."
Related reading:
Hino 300 Series High Horsepower: Review
2015 Hino 300 Series 921: Review
This recall concerns the front passenger-side airbag, not the driver airbag, states the ACCC.
Click here to view the ACCC product safety recall and a list of the affected VIN numbers, and click here to view more information on the matter from Hino
Owners of affected vehicles have been asked to contact Hino to arrange for a replacement airbag to be fitted free of charge.
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