Honda to recall 700.000 cars in China

Chinese authorities said on Sunday that Honda Motor Co. and its two joint ventures in China would recall 742,493 cars starting 15 September.

This step is due to potentially defective air bags which the carmaker said were made by Japan’s Takata Corp.

China’s quality watchdog did not specify the types of the cars, thus the withdrawal would include different types of cars manufactured between 2007 and 2010.

The regulator said the recalls were due to potential damaged airbags that could cause “shell fragments to fly”.

“This may hurt passengers in the car and there are risks to safety,” the regulator said.

Approximately 20 million vehicles have been recalled globally by automakers since 2008 for defective Takata inflators, which have been linked to five deaths. Honda, Takata’s biggest customer, alone has recalled 13.4 million cars, primarily in the United States.