Honda, the biggest customer of air-bag maker Takata Corp., said about 3 million more of its vehicles will need to be fixed in the U.S. after it widened a repair campaign to across the country.
The carmaker will add the vehicles to existing safety improvement campaigns that have been focused on high-humidity regions, Ben Nakamura, a spokesman for Honda, said by phone. The Tokyo-based company had earlier disclosed the decision during a U.S. congressional hearing this week without saying how many cars would be affected.
Honda called back more vehicles to fix air bags on the driver’s side after Takata rejected a demand by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to take similar action. An escalating crisis spurred by Takata’s devices has killed five motorists in Honda cars and is fraying ties between the two companies that go back more than 50 years.
Autoliv Inc. will supply Honda with additional air-bag inflators within about six months to help the carmaker continue to replace Takata air bags that it started recalling in 2008. More than 5 million Honda vehicles have been involved in recalls or safety-improvement campaigns, according to NHTSA.
