Honda Recalls More Vehicles in Japan Over Takata Air Bags

Honda Motor said on Thursday it was recalling around 784,000 vehicles in Japan, part of an expanded recall for potentially deadly Takata Corp airbags.

Automakers are ramping up recalls after the auto parts maker, under pressure from the U.S. government, agreed last month to declare more of its airbags as defective in the United States.

Takata's airbag inflators can explode with excessive force in hot, humid conditions, and have been linked to more than 100 injuries and 13 deaths, mainly in the United States.

More than 100 million vehicles have been recalled worldwide over faulty Takata airbags, and Honda's recall is part of a push by Japanese authorities to make sure that Takata air bags without a drying agent are off the road by March 2019.

Honda, a major customer of Takata air bags, said it is recalling models including its Odyssey minivan, Fit subcompact model and Civic sedan with production dates ranging between 2003 and 2009 to replace passenger-side air bags.

Facing ballooning recall costs and lawsuits over its faulty airbags, Takata is seeking financial backers. Private equity firm KKR & Co and Chinese auto supplier Ningbo Joyson Electronic Corp have expressed interest in investing.

Separately, Nissan Motor Co recalled some 230,000 Note mini multi-purpose vehicles in Japan over a potential fault with its engine bracket mount, and around 57,200 of its Skyline and Infiniti Q50 sedan models in Japan, North America, Europe and other regions over steering issues.

(Reporting by Naomi Tajitsu; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Edwina Gibbs)