Honda is recalling 37,000 vehicles in the U.S. to check if replacement air bags contain the recalled Takata inflators that may have been installed before massive recalls last year.
Honda Motor officials said the recall of the front air bag inflator of the 2003 two-door Accord doesn't affect its vehicles in other regions. No ruptures have been reported.
The inflators made by Japanese supplier Takata are blamed in at least 16 deaths and more than 180 injuries worldwide. The inflators can explode with too much force, sending shrapnel spewing.
The problem set off the biggest recall in U.S. automotive history, involving 42 million vehicles. Globally, the tally is more than 100 million.
The latest recall is unusual in that Honda is trying to find 2,500 inflators that were replaced during repairs. Honda officials said they don't know where the inflators went, so they're s recalling all of the possibly affected vehicles to check.
In February, Takata pleaded guilty to concealing a deadly defect in millions of its air bag inflators. The company agreed to pay $125 million to individual victims and $850 million to automakers.
Takata has sunk into red ink over the costs of the recalls, and it faces lawsuits from victims, in addition to the penalties.
