TOKYO (Reuters) -- Honda Motor Co. has hired Exponent, a U.S. engineering consulting company enlisted by Toyota Motor Corp. during its recall crisis in 2010, to investigate the cause of ruptures in some airbags made by Takata Corp.
The hiring of Exponent was first reported by Japan's Jiji News today and confirmed by a Honda spokesman in Tokyo.
A consortium of 10 automakers led by Toyota and which includes Honda has separately commissioned engineering firm Orbital ATK to conduct independent testing of Takata's airbag inflators, which can rupture with too much force, shooting metal shards into vehicles. Six deaths have been linked to the problem so far, all on Honda cars.
About 25 million vehicles with Takata airbags have been recalled worldwide since 2008.
