TOKYO, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Honda, Japan's No. 2 automaker, voluntarily added 437,763 vehicles to a recall to fix driver-side air bags in 2001 and 2002 models, the company said.
"The driver's air-bag inflators in these vehicles may deploy with too much pressure, which can cause the inflator casing to rupture and could result in injury or fatality," the company said in a statement issued Tuesday.
The expanded recall includes 378,758 vehicles in the United States, bringing the total number of Honda vehicles recalled in the United States for air-bag issues to 826,424, the Detroit Free Press reported Wednesday. In addition, 41,685 vehicles in Canada, 4,042 Hondas in Japan and 13,278 vehicles in other countries are part of the recall.
Honda said the affected models are the 2001 and 2002 Accord, Civic, Odyssey, CR-V and selected 2002 Acura TL vehicles.
Honda issued its first recall on the air-bag inflators in November 2008 for about 4,000 2001 Accords and Civics in the United States.
"When Honda identifies concerns of this nature, nothing is more important to the company than fulfilling our obligation and responsibility to alert our customers," the company said in its statement.
Honda said it notifying owners of affected vehicles and encouraged the owners it notifies to take their vehicles to an authorized dealer to replace the air bag.
