Honda is recalling more than 17,300 vehicles in Thailand following a death linked to defective airbags in one of its cars.
The move is part of a new round of recalls of about 170,000 Honda vehicles in Europe and Asia.
In the most recent round of airbag explosion reports disclosed on Nov 13, and the first outside the US, Honda said a pregnant Malaysian died in a car crash in July after the driver's airbag failed to deploy properly. The Honda City was registered in Brunei and manufactured in Thailand, while the airbag was produced in the US.
At least five deaths — all in Honda cars — have been linked to defective airbags produced by Japan's Takata Corp. More than 14 million vehicles from several automakers have been recalled due to concerns that the airbags can explode, sending metal debris into the car.
According to an announcement on its website, Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co will recall back 17,369 units sold in Thailand. The recall will cover the 2003-2004 models of the City, with 14,439 units produced in 2003 and the rest in 2004.
There has been no accidents linked to these vehicles in Thailand, said a Honda Thailand spokesperson.
Honda said the problem is related to the inflator of the airbag. A Honda investigation revealed a problem in the airbag supplier's production process.
"There is a possibility that the inflator might deliver a higher pressure than normal in the case of a frontal accident," said the Honda statement.
Honda's 200 dealers nationwide will submit letters to customers who have purchased the model to have their airbags replaced for free, starting from the end of November.
Takata, which has factories in North America, also produces airbags for Toyota, BMW, Chrysler, Mazda, Nissan, Ford, Subaru and Mitsubishi.
Neal McCarthy, Asean communications director at Ford Motor Company, said no Ford vehicles in Thailand are affected, since Takata is not a Ford supplier for either of its plants in Thailand.
Takata and Honda Motor Co are currently under investigation by the US Senate Commerce Committee over the airbag defects and the vehicle recall process.