|
The spokeswoman said she did not know when the
recall would be announced.
Defective Takata air bag inflators, which can explode and shoot
shrapnel into the car, have been linked to five deaths. More
than 16 million cars have been recalled globally since 2008, the
bulk by Takata's top customer Honda.
Several carmakers in the U.S. have issued regional recalls of
certain models to investigate what is causing some Takata air
bags to explode with excessive force.
U.S. safety regulators have ordered Takata to have those recalls
expanded nationwide.
As a result, Honda will recall similar models in Japan, the
spokeswoman, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.
An official at Japan's transport ministry has said that a
nationwide U.S. recall could add 200,000 Honda and Mazda Motor
Corp cars to the 2.6 million cars fitted with Takata air bags
already under recall in Japan.
Mazda spokeswoman Keiko Yano said on Friday: "We are still
considering whether to conduct a domestic recall, but no
conclusion has been reached."
Toyota Motor Corp said on Thursday it would call back 190,000
more vehicles to replace potentially defective air bags made by
Takata, and Japan's regulator said it may change its recall
system to better respond to what it called an "unprecedented"
crisis.
(Writing by William Mallard; editing by Susan Thomas)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
