A Japanese newspaper is reporting Honda will recall an additional 20 million airbags to prevent more people from being killed and injured in Honda vehicles.
The Japanese newspaper Nikkei cites an unnamed source about the massive recall expansion and Honda responded by saying it isn't the source of the Nikkei story.
The automaker says no official announcements have been made about recalls, but Nikkei says its source knows Honda will recall vehicles in Asia, Europe, Latin America, Oceania and the U.S. The source didn't indicate how many cars in each region will be recalled, but the estimated cost could approach $1.9 billion.
Honda more than any automaker has been hit hardest by Takata recalls and all reported deaths except one have occurred in Honda vehicles. At least 10 people in the U.S. have been confirmed killed by the exploding airbags, with nine of those fatalities attributed to Takata airbags in Honda vehicles. The remaining confirmed death in the U.S. was in a Ford Ranger.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says three independent investigations into exploding airbag inflators prove the metal canisters fracture during airbag deployment. The problem is caused by a combination of time, moisture and high temperatures that cause the explosive chemical inside the inflators to become unstable and degrade over time.
The chemical, ammonium nitrate, is used in the inflators as the propellant to deploy the airbags in a crash, but the chemical can burn too quickly and rupture the metal canister.
Exposure to humidity and changes in high temperatures alter the chemical compound, at least in airbags that don't have a drying agent called a desiccant, a separate chemical used to absorb moisture.
Days ago NHTSA announced 35-40 million additional airbags will be recalled in the U.S., all with inflators missing the desiccant.
CarComplaints.com will update this page when additional details from Honda are available.