Visitors look at a Honda car displayed outside the company showroom in Tokyo in 2013.Yuya Shino/Reuters
Honda Canada Inc. is recalling 700,000 vehicles in Canada as part of a worldwide company recall caused by the possibility that airbags made by Takata Corp. will explode.
The recall, which expands on an earlier recall made by Honda in June, covers the auto maker's major models in Canada sold between 2001 and 2010, although the model years vary depending on the vehicle.
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. expanded its recall amid a battle between Japan-based Takata and the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration after four Americans died because of exploding airbags. The U.S. regulator has ordered Takata to recall all vehicles equipped with its driver-side airbag inflators. Takata has refused.
Takata has so far insisted the recall should be confined to areas of high humidity, which appears to be the cause of the explosions, and that recalls beyond those areas are the responsibility of auto makers.
In Canada, Honda has started what it calls a safety improvement campaign that applies to 2001 through 2005 Honda Civic cars, 2002-2006 CR-V crossovers and some Accord, Element, Odyssey, Pilot and Ridgeline vehicles, as well as MDX, TL and CL vehicles sold through its luxury Acura outlets.
"This action is being taken to address the concerns of our customers residing outside the regions of high temperature and high absolute humidity," Honda Canada said Tuesday.
There are no reported claims of deaths or injuries in Canada caused by ruptured Takata airbags in Honda vehicles, the statement said.
Among other makers, BMW Canada Inc., Mazda Canada Inc. and Toyota Canada Inc. have recalled vehicles because of potential airbag problems, according to a list on Transport Canada's website.
Auto makers have recalled more than 30 million vehicles in North America this year for various reasons, including problems with General Motors Co. ignition switches.
The Takata airbag and GM ignition switch recalls have led to Congressional hearings in the United States, but no executives have been summoned to Ottawa to answer questions about the safety of their vehicles.
With files from Reuters