In the latest development associated with defective Takata airbags, Honda said earlier this week that the company will voluntarily expand a regional recall first initiated back in June into a national campaign affecting certain 2001 through 2011 Honda and Acura vehicles in the United States to replace the driver frontal airbag inflator.

Honda explained that it’s expanding this campaign to address concerns raised by its customers whose vehicles were not included in the regional campaign.  With this expansion, officials indicated a total of approximately 5.4 million vehicles (including vehicles previously included in the regional action) will be covered by this new campaign.

The automaker pointed out that vehicles already repaired pursuant to the recall announced earlier this year will not require further repair.

Here is a summary of affected models as certain units are for specific vehicles only:

• 2001-2007 Honda Accord with 4-cylinder engines

• 2001-2002 Honda Accord with 6-cylinder engines

• 2001-2005 Honda Civic

• 2002-2006 Honda CR-V

• 2003-2011 Honda Element

• 2002-2004 Honda Odyssey

• 2003-2007 Honda Pilot

• 2006 Honda Ridgeline

• 2003-2006 Acura MDX

• 2002-2003 Acura TL

• 2002 Acura CL

As part of an ongoing industry investigation, Honda reiterated that it has been working in cooperation with Takata, the supplier of the airbag inflators, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to remove and test frontal airbag inflators installed in certain Honda and Acura vehicles in 11 U.S. states and territories, including Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“Honda has been participating in that investigation because of an apparent correlation between the long term exposure to high absolute humidity, which is common in most of those states and territories, and the possibility that a frontal airbag inflator produced by Takata could produce excessive internal pressure upon deployment and then rupture,” OEM officials said.

“If a driver frontal airbag inflator ruptures, metal fragments could pass through the airbag cushion material possibly causing serious injury or fatality to vehicle occupants,” they continued.

To date, Honda noted that Takata’s testing of driver frontal airbag inflators removed from vehicles subject to the earlier recall has not yet resulted in any abnormal deployments.

The OEM acknowledged that it is aware of a May rupture of a driver frontal airbag inflator in a vehicle in California that was not covered by any of the driver frontal airbag recalls initiated between 2008 and 2011.

“Neither Honda nor Takata has made a determination that a safety defect exists in the driver frontal airbag inflators that are installed in vehicles included in the expanded recall,” officials said.

“Honda hopes that the expansion of this action nationwide will both address customer concerns and further assist in the ongoing industry investigation of abnormal airbag deployments in the vehicles from all affected manufacturers,” they went on to say.

Honda maintained that it is announcing this action to encourage owners to take their vehicles to an authorized Honda or Acura dealer as soon as they receive notification from Honda or Acura. Mailed notification to customers in the original regional campaign began in September, and additional mailed notification letters will be sent to registered owners over time, prioritized by geographic area in the order of highest perceived risk.

The most-updated available consumer information about this action is obtainable at www.recalls.honda.com and www.recalls.acura.com or by calling (800) 999-1009 for Honda owners or (800) 382-2238 for Acura owners, and selecting option No. 4.

Nissan Recalling Nearly 134,000 Units

In other vehicle recall news, NHTSA reported that Nissan North America is recalling 133,592 units because of a possible fuel leak.

The vehicles included in the campaign are:

— 2012-2014 Nissan Juke

— 2012-2013 Infiniti M56 and QX56

— 2014-2015 Infiniti Q70 and QX80

Regulators indicated the fuel pressure sensors may not have been sufficiently tightened during production.

“As a result, the fuel pressure sensor may loosen with vehicle usage and cause a fuel leak,” officials said. “A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source could cause a vehicle fire.”

Nissan told NHTSA it will notify owners, and franchised dealers will replace the fuel pressure sensors, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on or before Jan. 26.

In the meantime, owners can contact Nissan customer service at (800) 647-7261.