Honda Hires U.S. Firm to Help with Takata Airbag Probe

Honda Motor Co. confirms it has hired Menlo Park, Calif.-based Exponent Inc. to help it determine the root cause of exploding airbag inflators supplied by Takata Corp.

Exponent is a 48-year-old firm that specializes in rapid-response engineering and scientific research and analysis. Toyota Motor Corp. used the company five years ago to investigate charges that its cars could accelerate unexpectedly.

Both carmakers are part of a 10-company consortium that in February hired Virginia-based Orbital ATK Inc. to conduct a similar investigation into Takata airbag inflators. Takata is conducting its own probe too.

Ten carmakers have recalled some 25 million vehicles worldwide to replace Takata airbag inflators since 2008. Takata blames the misfires on propellant material degraded by age, extreme humidity and high heat.