The
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) recently announced a series of recalls by the local distributors of Honda, Kia, and Lexus.
On December 19, 2017,
Columbian Autocar Corp. (CAC), the authorized distributor of
Kia vehicles in the Philippines, informed the DTI that starting on January 8, 2018, it will conduct a
limited recall campaign " to inspect, repair and replace the
brake vacuum hose of certain vehicles belonging to some production batch of Carnival models sold in the Philippine market" as part of the recall program being conducted worldwide by Kia Motors Corporation. According to CAC,
198 units of the
Kia Carnival are affected by the recall and that all parts and services concerning it will be provided free of charge to its customers.
On January 16, 2018,
Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) told the agency that it is recalling
8,520 units of the
2013 Honda City,
1,259 units of the
2013 Honda Jazz, and
172 units of the
2013 Honda Pilot to replace the
passenger side airbag inflator as part of a
preventive measure campaign. In its letter to the agency, HCPI shared that "an error causes the passenger side airbag inflator to be over-pressurized during airbag deployment" and that the excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture when the airbag deploys, with metal fragments being propelled that "may cause serious injuries to the vehicle occupants." While there have been no known or reported injuries specifically due to the said issue in the Philippines, HCPI with its 41 authorized dealers and service outlets nationwide will replace the passenger side airbag inflator, which will take approximately one hour to complete, free of charge for the vehicle owners.
This recall is different from the one HCPI announced
in December which was for the driver' side airbag inflator.
On January 20, 2018,
Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) informed the DTI that it will conduct a
special service campaign for
one Lexus IS Convertible and
four Lexus GX460 for faulty
airbag inflator modules. According to TMP, "the propellant of the airbag inflator module may degrade after prolonged exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling" and that, like Honda's recall, the inflator may rupture when the airbag deploys and "may cause metal fragments to pass through the airbag and into the vehicle interior at high speed" which may result in injuries to the vehicle occupants. As part of the campaign, TMP will replace the airbag inflator modules with new ones at no cost to its customers.
