Honda urges owners of certain cars to get airbags repaired immediately

Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Honda is warning owners of vehicles with unrepaired Takata air bags not to drive them and instead bring them in for repair, saying that the risk to drivers could be deadly.

The problem is in 2001-2003 Acura and Honda vehicles, which are equipped with Takata Alpha driver side air bag inflators. Honda said that the air bags have a 50% failure rate, and that if the inflators rupture, the metal fragments ejected toward the driver's face could kill or leave them with devastating, life-altering injuries.

"If you have a vehicle with a recalled Takata Alpha air bag, you must get it repaired now -- for free. These inflators are two decades old now, and they pose a 50% chance of rupturing in even a minor crash. Don't gamble with your life or the life of someone you love -- schedule your free repair today before it's too late," said National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Acting Administrator Ann Carlson.

Approximately 8,200 Honda and Acura vehicles with the most dangerous air bags are still being driven today, Honda said. The car company added that owners of these vehicles can bring them in for a free repair.