REVISED: NHTSA Orders Nationwide Takata Airbag Recalls

Five carmakers are being told to go nationwide with their regional recalls of cars equipped with driver-side airbag inflators from Takata Corp.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warned carmakers late last month that they should prepare to broaden their campaigns. Late Tuesday the agency ordered BMW, Chrysler, Ford, Honda and Mazda to do just that.

The five companies and six others are already calling back more than 8 million cars, mostly pre-2009 models, in high-humidity states. Takata and NHTSA believe the inflators can explode if exposed to excessive moisture. Until now, NHTSA has said the same models in less humid parts of the country are safe.

Now the agency wants the five companies to replace the driver's-side airbag in the models they're already recalling in the high-humidity zone regardless of where those vehicles are located. NHTSA says it will force the recalls if carmakers don't quickly do it themselves.

The agency so far has not ordered a similar expansion for passenger-side Takata airbag inflators, which also are being targeted by several of the high-humidity-zone recalls.