Automotive News: Honda says Florida crash death could be linked to Takata inflator, Germany Orders Sales Stop on Porsche Diesels
Honda says Florida crash death could be linked to Takata inflator
Honda Motor Co said on Thursday that a Takata airbag inflator ruptured in car crash last week in Florida, in what could be the 19th death worldwide linked to faulty airbags recalled as part of the largest automotive safety campaign in history.
The Japanese automaker said the driver of a 2002 Honda Accord was killed in Holiday, Florida, after the inflator ruptured. An official cause of death has not been announced. Last week, authorities in Australia said the death of a Sydney man earlier this month that police said was likely the result of a faulty Takata airbag inflator.
At least 18 deaths and 180 injuries worldwide are now tied to the defect that led Takata Corp to file for bankruptcy protection last month. Takata inflators can explode with excessive force, unleashing metal shrapnel inside cars and trucks. read more »
Germany Orders Sales Stop on Porsche Diesels
Germany’s federal transport authority, the KBA (Kraftfahrtbundesamt), has placed a registration ban on the Porsche Cayenne Diesel due to the discovery of what it describes as suspect emissions-manipulation software.
The ban, confirmed by German transport minister Alexander Dobrindt on Thursday, comes after KBA testing revealed the Porsche model is fitted with software that manipulates carbon-dioxide emissions by switching to a so-called warm-up strategy mode when it detects they are undergoing testing on a rolling road. The process provides a lower CO2 rating than would be achieved otherwise.
The Cayenne Diesel is powered by an Audi-developed and produced turbocharged 3.0L V-6 diesel – the same unit used by Audi in a raft of different models, including the A4, A6, A8, Q5 and Q7, and recalled by that brand earlier. The engine also is offered in the Volkswagen Touareg. read more »
