Honda remembers 1.6 million cars over Takata airbags
The recall affects Honda and Acura cars in the United States.
Honda urged owners of affected vehicles to seek free replacement immediately from authorized dealers.
Honda is ahead of the National Highway Road Safety Administration's timetable to replace Takata airbag inflators, the car manufacturer said in a statement. Honda said it has made significant progress with existing recall fixes, with a 83 percent completion rate. The company has enough spare parts, ranging from alternative suppliers, to repairing affected Acura and Honda models, it said.
In March, Honda confirmed 14 deaths and more than 200 injuries in the US related to the Takata airbag's front blowers. Another company's vehicle was involved in two other US deaths, Honda said.
A chemical desiccant used in inflators can cause the airbags to rupture, Takata said. In the event of an outbreak, some Takata airbags caused explosions to occur to passengers and drivers who injured or killed anyone.
The faulty inflators resulted in the recall of tens of millions of vehicles worldwide. It was the largest automotive recall in US history, with around 37 million cars in the United States from 19 car manufacturers hit.
