Honda announces another recall for faulty air bags

Associated Press

DETROIT

Honda has added 4.5 million vehicles in countries outside the U.S. to the growing list of cars and trucks recalled for Takata air bags that could explode with too much force and spew shrapnel at drivers and passengers.

The recall announced Thursday raises to 57.5 million the total number of Takata air-bag inflators recalled worldwide.

The figure includes 33.8 million inflators in the U.S. affecting 32 million vehicles from 11 automakers including Honda, BMW and Toyota. At Honda alone, the figure is 24.5 million worldwide.

The staggering numbers mean it will take several years for Takata and other air-bag makers to produce enough inflators to finish the recalls, leaving potentially dangerous Takata inflators on the road.

Kelley Blue Book Senior Analyst Karl Brauer estimated that it would take four years or longer to make enough inflators to finish all the global recalls, and said that assumes that no further recalls will be announced.