Honda recalls more vehicles for Takata problems, Acura radar

TOKYO (AP) – Honda Motor Co. recalled an additional 4.89 million vehicles around the world Thursday for a new type of problem in Takata air bag inflators, for which Japanese rivals Toyota and Nissan have already carried out recalls.

Honda also announced a global recall for 47,800 Acura and other model vehicles for a defect in the radar system designed to make cars safer to drive by stopping automatically before crashes.

With Thursday’s announcement, the recalls over the Takata Corp. air bag inflator problems have ballooned to 19.6 million vehicles for Honda.

On Wednesday, Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. expanded their Takata-related recalls by 6.5 million vehicles, to take care of the new problem.

In the latest problem, a leak can happen while the vehicle is in use, causing a rupture, and the air bag could explode, according to Honda. The earlier recalls were for exploding air bag inflators that stemmed from defects during production of the air bags.

The cause of the defect is not yet exactly pinpointed. Automakers, Takata and NHTSA, the transport authority in the U.S., are investigating.

No North American vehicles are affected by the latest Honda recall. Some 1.72 million vehicles, for the 2004 through 2008 models years, were recalled in Japan. Other regional breakdowns were not immediately available.

No injuries have been reported related to the latest problem, Tokyo-based Honda said.

Separately, the radar system problem affects 22,700 vehicles in North America, nearly 6,000 vehicles in Europe and nearly 11,000 vehicles in Japan, for the 2014 and 2015 models years. A system software update will correct the problem.

There has been one reported accident for this problem, in which a radar system in a Honda vehicle on a Tokyo street mistakenly thought a vehicle was approaching and automatically braked, causing the vehicle behind to crash into its rear bumper. No one was injured, Honda said.

Nissan’s Takata-related recalls have grown to about 4 million around the world. Toyota’s Takata-related recalls have ballooned to 8.1 million vehicles.

Takata supplied other automakers, including Ford Motor Co, BMW and Chrysler AG. At least six people have died worldwide due to the defect for which the original Takata recalls were carried out. Even before the latest recalls, 10 automakers recalled 22 million worldwide because of the Takata air bag problem.