Honda Admits Failing to Flag Airbag Flaw Sooner

Honda Motor Co. acknowledged to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation earlier today that it should have warned customers and U.S. safety agencies earlier about exploding Takata Corp. airbag inflators.

At least five fatalities have been blamed on the faulty devices, all in Honda vehicles. The inflators can explode when triggered and spray shrapnel into the passenger compartment.

Ten carmakers in the U.S. have so far recalled 8 million cars in high-humidity regions to replace their Takata airbag inflators. Earlier this week the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration asked the companies to expand the campaigns nationwide.

But today's hearing shed no new light on the fundamental challenge surrounding the Takata crisis: Nobody knows exactly how many devices are a threat. Honda, for one, says it is still trying to determine the scope of the problem.

Takata's head of global quality assurance apologized to the committee for the defective devices. But he declined to say whether he agrees with NHTSA about widening the recalls.

NHTSA told the committee it is urging carmakers to replace only driver-side Takata airbags throughout the U.S. It says the agency hasn't requested the same for passenger-side airbags, the target of recalls in high-humidity areas, because it hasn't determined passenger airbag inflators are a risk in other climates.