Watch CBS News

Bay Area Honda Drivers Get Recall Notices For Faulty Airbags

SAN JOSE (CBS) -- Bay Area Honda drivers just began getting their notices in the mail for the February recall stemming from faulty airbags.

The first car Carlos Carrasco chose to buy for his move to the U.S.: a Honda.

"It's a good car," Carrasco said.

And some would say he got lucky because his car, made in 1995, is too old to be part of the Takata airbag recall that's affected tens of millions of cars.

Rosemary Shahan, president of Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety (CARS) said, "People are riding around in a car that's a ticking time bomb."

Shahan said the repairs aren't being made quick enough because Takata can't keep up.

"What happens is that metal parts spew out into the car and they're blinding people," Shahan said.

A letter obtained by KPIX5 -- sent by a Honda dealership to a Honda Fit owner -- explains that the parts won't come until this summer.

Honda dealerships, however, are offering customers a rental car to drive in the meantime.

"That's a very positive thing that Honda is doing," Shahan said, adding that CARS is encouraging consumers to take Honda up on that offer.

One Bay Area Honda dealership told KPIX5 that the first wave of parts from the February recall should arrive in the Bay Area by Friday.

But some affected customers aren't getting their airbags replaced, a potentially deadly mistake, according to Shahan.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.