Automakers expand passenger air bag recalls

DETROIT - Under pressure from U.S. safety regulators, automakers are expanding recalls or adding them to fix potentially faulty passenger air bags in high-humidity states.

Documents posted Tuesday by the government say Subaru is expanding a previous recall of five models. Mitsubishi is recalling one model, the 2004 and 2005 Lancer small car.

Both companies have cars equipped with air bags made by Takata Corp. They can inflate with too much force and spew metal shrapnel into the passenger compartment.

Previous recalls were limited to Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and several other territories. The new Subaru and Mitsubishi recalls now cover those areas as well as Southern Georgia and coastal areas of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and South Carolina.

The government is pushing for a national recall of Takata driver's air bags.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the expanded recalls include the following models:

Mitsubishi

Certain model year 2004-2005 Lancer vehicles, manufactured Aug. 4, 2003, to Dec. 10, 2004

Subaru

Certain model year 2003-2005 Legacy, Outback, Baja, 2004-2005 Impreza (including WRX/STI), and 2005 Saab 9-2X vehicles

More information can be found at safercar.gov. The recall ID for affected Mitsubishi vehicles is 14V752; the recall ID for affected Subarus is 14V763.