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Safety regulators have warned drivers of more than 300,000 Honda cars to stop driving them due to air bags rupturing and causing injury.
According to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), new test data shows that around 313,000 2001-2003 Honda and Acura cars have up to a 50% chance of a dangerous air bag inflator rupture in a crash.
The Takata air bags used have been linked to as many as 14 deaths worldwide, with safety regulators saying the bags can deploy with too much force, sending deadly metal fragments flying.
As a result the NHTSA has urged drivers not to use the “unsafe” cars until they have been repaired.
US transportation secretary Anthony Foxx said: “With as high as a 50% chance of a dangerous air bag inflator rupture in a crash, these vehicles are unsafe and need to be repaired immediately.
“Folks should not drive these vehicles unless they are going straight to a dealer to have them repaired immediately, free of charge.”
Honda said in a statement that it agreed with the analysis of the tests and the cars should only be driven to a dealer to have the air bags replaced.
The vehicles affected are the 2001-2002 Honda Accord, Honda Civic, 2002 Honda CR-V, Honda Odyssey, 2003 Honda Pilot, 2002-2003 Acura 3.2 TL and 2003 Acura 3.2CL.
Toyota has already announced a similar recall after around 100 million air bag inflators, in cars by manufacturers around the world, were deemed unsafe and began to be recalled.
