U.S. accounts for 90% of affected models
Honda Motor Co. widened its biggest recall to fix flaws related to airbags in models including the Civic and Accord produced as long as a decade ago.
The recall covers an additional 917,267 vehicles worldwide, said spokesman Keitaro Yamamoto. That brings the total to more than 2.77 million, the company's biggest recall for an individual flaw, he said.
More than 90 percent of the affected vehicles are in the United States.
"Affected driver's airbag inflators may deploy with too much pressure, which can cause the inflator casing to rupture and could result in injury or fatality," the company said in a statement.
The models include the 2001 and 2002 Accord, the 2001 to 2003 Civic, the 2001 to 2003 Odyssey, the 2002 and 2003 CR-V, the 2003 Pilot, the 2002 and 2003 Acura 3.2 TL and the 2003 Acura 3.2 CL vehicles, according to the statement.
Honda recalled more than 300,000 Pilot SUVs in September for seat-belt stitching that could unravel during a crash.
The latest move is a blow to Honda, the only large carmaker to report a sales decline in the U.S. last month, as it seeks to recover from natural disasters in Japan and Thailand this year.
Toyota Motor Corp. posted a drop in U.S. sales last year after the recall of millions of vehicles undermined its reputation for quality.
"A recall will definitely have a negative impact on Honda," said Masatoshi Nishimoto, a senior manager for IHS Automotive in Tokyo. "Honda is behind on production due to the impact of the Japanese earthquake and the Thai floods."
