Honda Faces Inquiry Over Air Bags

Honda Motor Co. faces a U.S. safety investigation and potential recall of 240,193 of its 2004 Accord sedans after the driver-side air bag failed during two crash tests.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began the inquiry last week after air-bag failures during tests of damage when higher-riding light trucks crash into cars from the side, an agency spokesman said. The bag fabric had a large tear and didn’t fully inflate, the Washington-based agency said.

Honda, whose U.S. sales unit is based in Torrance, did not comment on the investigation.

An inquiry can advance to an engineering analysis. Seven in 10 such analyses lead to recalls.