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Local Honda dealers gear up for major safety recall

ATLANTA — Metro Atlanta Honda dealers gearing up for a major safety recall.

"Clearly we're concerned. “We're concerned about the cars that we've sold and the cars that are on the road," Ed Voyles Honda General Manager Pete Richards said on Monday afternoon.

The Japenese automaker just recalled nearly three quarters of a million SUVs and minivans over an airbag issue. Honda says the safety risk comes from the plastic cover on the drivers'-side airbags, which may not be attached with the right number of rivets.

"The airbag won't work properly, so heavy-impact or high-impact, there could be bodily harm or damage," explained shop foreman Jody Voyles.

Voyles walked Channel 2's Aaron Diamant through the inspection process by using a flashlight and mirror to look for a missing rivet in one minvan.

"It's clearly visible,” Voyles said. “So it's fairly easy."

The recall covers 748,000 vehicles: 2009 through 2013 Pilot SUVs, and 2011 through 2013 Odyssey minivans.

Richards said less than 1 percent of the recalled vehicles are actually missing the rivet, but the company doesn't know which ones they are.

"If it's my family, I'd bring it in as soon as I possibly could,” Richards said. “If we don't know which 7,500 [vehicles are missing a rivet], I'm not going to take that chance, and I don't want my customers to take that chance."

Customers who do have the issue with their vehicles will get a brand-new airbag.

"The good news is they caught it, and they've recalled it and it's a quick fix,” said Richards.

Honda said official recall notices will be sent to owners in February.