Eight Automakers Including Honda Recall 12 Million Vehicles

Eight automakers including Honda said on Friday they are recalling more than 12 million U.S. vehicles for defective Takata air bag inflators, widening the largest-ever auto safety effort to more passenger-side devices.

The defective air bag inflators have been linked to at least 13 deaths and more than 100 injuries worldwide. The vehicles being recalled were built between 2002 and 2011 and include pickups, SUVs and cars, Reuters said.

Honda Motor is recalling 4.5 million U.S. vehicles while Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is recalling 4.3 million, according to the documents. The new recall is focused on passenger-side air bag inflators, while prior recalls were for all frontal inflators.

Japan's Takata declared 14 million inflators defective in the first phase of its latest recall, and the Friday notice is largely included in that total.

Takata this month agreed to declare as many as 40 million additional air bag inflators defective by 2019 in a move that will involve recalls by 17 automakers.

Takata inflators can explode with too much force and spray metal shrapnel into vehicle passenger compartments.

(With inputs from Reuters)