TOKYO (AP) — Honda Motor Co. is adding 437,000 vehicles to its 15-month-old global recall for faulty air bags in the latest quality problem to hit a Japanese automaker.

The company will replace the driver’s side air bag inflator in the cars because they can deploy with too much pressure, causing the inflator to rupture and injure or kill the driver.

Japan’s No. 2 automaker originally announced the recall to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in November 2008 and the total of number vehicles recalled since then is approaching 1 million.

The latest expansion of the air bag recall includes 378,000 cars in the U.S., some 41,000 cars in Canada and 17,000 cars in Japan, Australia and elsewhere in Asia. The North American recall was announced Tuesday and followed Wednesday by the recall in Asia.

The recall now affects 952,118 vehicles, including certain 2001 and 2002 Accord sedans, Civic compacts, Odyssey minivans, CR-V small sport utility vehicles and some 2002 Acura TL sedans.

Honda’s announcement comes at a time of increased attention on automotive recalls. Though the problems are unrelated, rival Toyota Motor Corp. is in the process of recalling more than 8 million cars and trucks due to faulty gas pedals. On Tuesday, Toyota said it would recall nearly 440,000 of its flagship 2010 Prius and other hybrids due to a braking glitch.

“There is a heightened sensitivity right now to anything to do with recalls,” said John Mendel, executive vice president of sales for American Honda.

Honda said it is aware of 12 incidents linked to the problem — one death in May 2009 and 11 injuries. The company said it is not aware of any problems happening after July 2009.

Honda decided to expand the recall after a company investigation found that more cars might contain defective air bag inflators, made by supplier Takata Corp., based in Tokyo.

The problem, the company found, could be traced to a stamping machine that sometimes used insufficient pressure to make the inflators. Honda company decided to recall all vehicles using the compressed inflator propellant produced by that machine, it said in a release.

“It took time to come to that conclusion because we had to do many tests,” said Natsuno Asanuma, a manager of public relations at Honda in Tokyo. “We have concluded this is the cause.”

One analyst suggested Toyota’s woes may have lowered the bar for recalls, prompting automakers to announce full-fledged recalls for problems that would normally be handled during regular car inspections or service campaigns calling in cars at the owner’s convenience.

“With Toyota’s big problems, Honda probably realized it couldn’t avoid a recall in these other models,” said Toshirou Yoshinaga, an analyst at Aizawa Securities in Tokyo.

But Honda’s Asanuma denied Toyota’s problems had any impact on Honda’s actions, while acknowledging increased consumer sensitivity to safety issues.

“We are following the normal procedure, so it doesn’t mean customers’ feelings changed our attitude,” she said. “There are strict regulations regarding recalls.”

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TOKYO – Toyota is recalling 437,000 Prius and other hybrid vehicles worldwide to fix brake problems — the latest embarrassing safety lapse at the world’s largest automaker.

“I don’t see Toyota as an infallible company that never makes mistakes,” President Akio Toyoda said at a news conference Tuesday. “We will face up to the facts and correct the problem, putting customers’ safety and convenience first.”

The number of vehicles recalled globally by Toyota Motor Corp. now has ballooned to 8.5 million, including for floor mats that can trap gas pedals and faulty gas pedals that are slow to return to the idle position. The 2010 model of the Prius — the world’s top-selling hybrid and Japan’s top-selling car — wasn’t part of the earlier recalls.

There have been about 200 complaints in Japan and the U.S. about a delay when the brakes in the Prius were pressed in cold conditions and on some bumpy roads. The delay doesn’t indicate a brake failure. The company says the problem can be fixed in 40 minutes with new software that oversees the controls of the antilock brakes.

“Let me assure everyone that we will redouble our commitment to quality as the lifeline of our company,” Toyoda said.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement Tuesday that Toyota’s leaders have assured him they are taking safety concerns “very seriously.” The statement said LaHood’s agency will stay in constant communication with Toyota to hold the company to its promise.

Also, State Farm, the largest auto insurer in the U.S., said it alerted federal regulators late in 2007 about a rise in reports of unexpected acceleration in Toyota vehicles. Congressional investigators are looking into whether the government missed warning signs.

Toyota officials went to Japan’s Transport Ministry earlier Tuesday to formally notify officials the company is recalling the 2010 Prius gas-electric hybrid. The automaker is also recalling two other hybrid models in Japan, the Lexus HS250h sedan, sold in the U.S. and Japan, and the Sai, which is sold only in Japan.

The 223,000 cars being recalled in Japan include nearly 200,000 Priuses sold from April last year through Monday, according to papers the automaker filed with the ministry.

In the U.S., Toyota will recall 133,000 Prius cars and 14,500 Lexus HS250h vehicles. Nearly 53,000 Priuses are also being recalled in Europe. Toyota is suspending production of the Sai and Lexus HS250h in Japan until the updated software for those models is ready.

If drivers experience a delayed reaction when depressing the brakes in any of these models, they should keep pressing, according to Toyota and the transport ministry.

The Prius repairs will start in Japan on Wednesday. U.S. owners will start receiving letters about the recall next week.

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(AP) - Toyota’s massive recalls over problem gas pedals in the U.S. are being extended to China and Europe, the latest blow to the world’s top automaker as it struggles to salvage its safety reputation.

The announcements Thursday come after the company earlier this week said it was suspending U.S. sales and production of eight models - including the Camry, America’s top-selling car - to fix faulty pedals that could stick and cause acceleration without warning.

Toyota Motor Corp. also announced an additional recall of 1.09 million vehicles in the United States covering five models - 2008-2010 Highlander, 2009-2010 Corolla, 2009-2010 Venza, 2009-2010 Matrix, and 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe.

Toyota dealers across the U.S. have been swamped with calls from concerned drivers but had few answers as the recalls snowballed.

A week before the sales suspension, Toyota issued a U.S. recall for the same eight models, affecting 2.3 million vehicles. In late 2009 it recalled 4.2 million vehicles amid concerns that floor mats could bend across gas pedals, causing sudden acceleration.

Toyota has insisted the problem of sudden, uncontrolled acceleration was “rare and infrequent” and said dealers should deal with customers “on a case-by-case basis.” But drivers of Toyotas and those who share the road with them were left with uncertainty.

The automaker has informed Chinese authorities it will start a recall in February for 75,500 RAV4 sport utility vehicles that were manufactured in China between March 2009 and January 2010, said Toyota spokeswoman Ririko Takeuchi.

They use the same problem parts in accelerators that caused the recent spate of massive recalls in the U.S., she said.

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