Honda to recall 2.2M vehicles for Takata air bag trouble

In the latest development, Honda said it is expanding its recall of late-model Honda and Acura vehicles equipped with the devices, possibly adding as many as 2.3 million vehicles to the recall list.

The recall is for 2.23 million vehicles sold across the United States for more than a decade, bringing the total number of recalled Honda and Acura cars to 8.51 million.

Fiat Chrysler on Thursday said it was recalling about 112,000 older crossovers and minivans in the USA due to the problem, which the vehicle maker described as components being subjected to unintended moisture that can cause air bags to accidentally deploy or, more likely, a warning light to illuminate. The now airbags are Takata PSDI-5 airbag inflators on the driver’s side which can rupture when they deploy, spraying shrapnel at the vehicle’s occupants. At least 10 deaths, including nine in the U.S., and more than 100 injuries have been linked to the defect. In that case, 24 million USA vehicles are being recalled. Automotive News is reporting that CAS told the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) there is the potential for the electronic module to fail meaning airbags may not deploy in the event of an accident, or may inadvertently deploy.

In the documents, Continental says its problem first surfaced in January of 2008 when it analyzed a malfunctioning control unit that was removed from a Mercedes.

Last year, Mercedes recalled 126,260 C-Series cars from 2008 and 2009 and 2010 GLK350 vehicles because of the problem.

Takata aims to reach an agreement with automakers on a plan by the end of May, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information isn’t public.

Continental’s announcement came in the middle of a recall crisis involving Japan’s Takata air bag inflators, deemed responsible for many casualties in the past. CEO Shigehisa Takada, grandson of the company’s founder, may be forced to resign as the amount of money needed to carry out the recalls continues to rise, recent reports have said.

Just when you thought Honda is done with the Takata air bag issue, it announced another round of major vehicle recall.

Earlier this week, Toyota Motor Corp said it was recalling 320,000 2003-2006 USA vehicles because of improper programming that could allow them to deploy when not necessary. Honda’s latest recall is included in that count.

Even before this latest expansion, the Takata recall is one of the largest ever.

Honda also sent a notice to dealers ordering them to stop selling any affected cars that might be in their new or used auto inventories, according to a report in Automotive News.