Japan carmakers break links with airbag maker

Tokyo

AIR BAG manufacturer Takata Corp and Japanese carmakers including Honda Motor Co are locked in the commercial equivalent of a bad marriage; not entirely happy in each other's company but unable to break apart and wary of potentially costly court battles.

Honda on Friday unveiled a new model with an unusual sales pitch - fuel efficient, lots of cargo space and, by the way, no air bag inflators made by Takata, the Japanese supplier at the centre of a global safety crisis that has rocked both companies.

Over the past five years, recalls have ballooned to include 36 million vehicles fitted with pote…