Certain airbags manufactured by Continental can fail in as many as five million cars from at least four manufacturers, according to filings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Power-supply circuit boards within the airbag control module can corrode over time, breaking electrical connections and causing airbags to either not deploy when they should or inadvertently deploy for no reason. Frontal, side, and curtain airbags may be affected, as well as the seat belt pre-tensioners. Continental says it is notifying the manufacturers, which each will issue individual recalls.
So far, the vehicles known from the larger total are 341,444 Honda Accord models from 2008?2010 and 112,001 vehicles from Fiat-Chrysler and Volkswagen, including the 2009 Dodge Journey, 2008?2009 Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country, and the 2009 Volkswagen Routan. Mercedes-Benz already had recalled the 2008?2009 C-class and 2010 GLK-class in October for this same problem. Other manufacturers may be included, and according to Continental’s production dates, the recalls could involve model years between 2006 and 2011.
NHTSA opened an investigation in August after receiving 19 reports of failed airbag control modules in the 2008 Accord. Continental had known about the issue since January 2008 when Daimler in Germany sent the company a damaged module, the company said. Continental, without detail, cited a “corrective action” shortly after that reduced the a...