Honda Expands Recall to Check 833,000 Air Bags

Honda Motor Co. is expanding a recall so it can check the driver’s air bags on another 833,000 vehicles for a possible defect.

The automaker said it’s adding the vehicles to a previous recall because some may have had faulty air bags installed when they were fixed after a crash.

Honda said in a statement Monday night that the air bags can inflate with too much force and a casing can break and cause injury or death.

Vehicles being added to the recall include some 2001 and 2002 Accord and Civic, 2002 Odyssey, 2002 and 2003 CR-V, 2002 and 2003 Acura 3.2 TL and 2003 Acura 3.2 CL models.

Honda said 2,430 faulty air bags were installed after crashes, but it doesn’t know which vehicles got them.

So the recall is being expanded to include 833,000 vehicles that might need inspection.

Honda originally announced the recall to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in November 2008, involving fewer than 4,000 2001 Accords and Civics.

In February 2010, Honda added more than 378,000 cars to the recall, bringing the number of affected vehicles to 822,000.

Honda said at the time it was aware of 12 incidents linked to the problem, with 11 injuries and one death.

Owners will be notified by mail in late May. If an owner is confident the air bag hasn’t been replaced, they can notify the company. All others should have their vehicle checked by a dealer.