Honda recalls vehicles with dangerous air bags

DETROIT -- A type of Takata air bag inflator once thought to be safe has now come under scrutiny after a crash and explosion in Maryland injured the driver of a Honda minivan.

The incident forced Honda on Tuesday to recall about 1.2 million vehicles in North and Central America from the 2001 to 2016 model years to replace inflators not previously included in the massive string of Takata recalls for air bags that can hurl shrapnel into the passenger compartment.

Takata used ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion and inflate air bags in a collision. But the chemical can deteriorate when exposed to high temperatures and humidity and blow apart a metal canister, spewing out shrapnel. At least 23 people have been killed by the company's inflators and hundreds more injured.

The inflators in the Tuesday recall contain a moisture-absorbing chemical called a desiccant added to keep the ammonium nitrate stable. They were believed to be safe and were used to replace older inflators under recalls that began in 2014.

NHTSA, the government's highway safety regulator, said in a statement Tuesday only Honda used this particular type of Takata inflator made at the Mexican factory. The Honda vehicles will be recalled a second time to replace the inflators. Also included in the recall are vehicles receiving inflators due to collision repairs.

The recall covers certain Honda and Acura models largely in the U.S. and Canada. Included are the 2001 to 2007 and 2009 Honda Accord, the 2001 to 2005 Civic, the 2002 to 2007 and 2010 and 2011 CR-V, the 2003 to 2011 Element, the 2007 Fit, the 2002 to 2004 Odyssey, the 2003 to 2008 Pilot, and the 2006 to 2014 Ridgeline pickup. Also included are certain 2003 Acura 3.2CL cars, as well as the 2013 to 2016 ILX, the 2003 to 2006 MDX, the 2007 to 2016 RDX, the 2002 to 2003 3.2TL, the 2004 to 2006 and 2009 to 2014 TL, and the 2010 to 2013 ZDX.

NHTSA said not all vehicles that received replacement air bag inflators are affected. Some had replacement parts from other manufacturers that are safe. The agency urged owners to check for open recalls by keying in their 17-digit vehicle identification number on the NHTSA website nhtsa.gov/recalls.