Photo of 2002 Honda Civic courtesy of Honda.

Photo of 2002 Honda Civic courtesy of Honda.

American Honda Motor Co. announced another safety recall aimed at replacing defective Takata-manufactured air bag inflators, which are at risk for rupturing and dispersing metal fragments that can injure vehicle occupants.

The 2001-2006 Honda and Acura cars covered in this latest recall were previously part of a “safety improvement campaign” launched in June, Honda said. These vehicles were originally sold, or were once registered, in states or locations with high absolute humidity: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Saipan, Guam and American Samoa.

The air bag inflator propellant is particularly volatile in areas with high absolute humidity.

The Honda recall covers certain 2003-2005 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2002-2005 CR-V, 2003-2004 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2005 Pilot, 2006 Ridgeline, 2003-2005 Acura MDX and 2005 Acura RL vehicles.

The same repair required in the prior safety improvement campaign – replacement of the passenger front air bag inflator – will apply to vehicles now included in this recall, Honda said. Vehicles that received a replacement passenger air bag inflator under the safety improvement campaign will not be included in the recall.

Dealers will make the recall repairs free of charge.

In 2013 and 2014, multiple automakers have issued safety recalls to replace Takata-manufactured air bag inflators in nearly 8 million vehicles in the U.S. Before 2013, about 3 million were recalled in the U.S. for the same problem. 

In recent days, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has requested from Honda a number of documents detailing the air bag problems and the company’s response over the years. The first recall associated with the inflator problem occurred in 2008.

To view an NBC news report about new allegations of a Takata cover-up, click here.

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