More airbag woes: Continental recalls control units in 5 million cars

The recall brings to 8.51 million the number of Honda and Acura vehicles recalled in the USA for Takata inflator problems.

NHTSA said tens of millions of other vehicles with Takata airbags will likely need to be recalled eventually.

Honda is recalling another 440,000 cars in Japan over air bag inflators made by Takata that can explode and hurl shrapnel into the vehicle.

The defective air bags, which can burst open when they deploy and send shards of debris throughout the auto, have been linked to about 10 deaths and more than 100 injuries.

Japanese carmaker Honda is recalling 2.23 million cars in the United States equipped with potentially defective airbags that could rupture, deepening the deadly scandal surrounding parts supplier Takata.

The Takata recall has typically focused on older vehicles, but today’s expansion includes many recent and current models. Both Honda and Acura vehicles have been included in the recall.

The recall is unrelated to a separate one involving airbags made by Takata Corp. The figure could soon approach 25 million in the USA alone, according to several industry observers.

A Mazda spokeswoman said the automaker was aware of Continental’s recall and investigating.

Initial reports on Wednesday indicated about 1.7 million vehicles would be recalled as part of an expanding investigation into the Takata defect.

Though a precise cause has not yet been determined, the failures appear to be linked to Takata’s use of potentially unstable ammonium nitrate in its airbag inflators.

Continental said it would notify automakers that installed these air bag control units in their vehicles.

“This is the largest, most expensive recall problem in history and it will take the longest time to resolve”, said Kart Brauer, senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book. Millions more drivers have been waiting months for the replacement parts to get their airbags fixed.

Honda and Fiat Chrysler announced new recalls on Wednesday and Thursday to cover their vehicles, while Mercedes recalled its affected vehicles a year ago. Honda will install new inflators in the affected cars for free, but the automaker says parts won’t be available until summer because of how many cars are involved.

Federal law bars the sale of new vehicles with pending recalls, but not that of used vehicles, and regulators have been stymied in their efforts to compel dealers to make recall repairs on used vehicles before sale.