Honda president steps down amid airbag scandal

Honda Motor Co, the Japanese carmaker at the centre of an airbag defect scandal, says its president Takanobu Ito will step aside and be replaced by another Honda executive.

The unexpected decision follows massive recalls by Honda of vehicles equipped with airbags made by Japan’s Takata Corp. The airbags have inflators that can explode, expelling shards of metal and plastic. At least five deaths and dozens of injuries have been linked to the problem worldwide.

Takata airbags are used by many carmakers but Honda was the worst affected.

Tokyo-based Honda said in a statement that another Honda executive, Takahiro Hachigo, will succeed Ito, who will remain on the board as an adviser. The announcement did not mention the problems with the airbags and came amid a slew of other managerial changes. All the new appointments are subject to board approval at the company’s annual shareholders meeting in June.

Hachigo handled development of the US-built Odyssey minivan and has guided the carmaker’s businesses in the US, Europe and China during his 33-year career with Honda, the company said.

US and Japanese authorities have been investigating the Takata air bags. The US fined Honda $70m (€61.5m), which was the largest civil penalty levied against a carmaker, for not reporting to US regulators 1,729 complaints that its vehicles caused deaths and injuries, and for not reporting warranty claims.