Takata, Honda lose bid to toss out class-action lawsuit in US

New York

A US judge has rejected a bid by airbag manufacturer Takata Corp and carmaker Honda Motor Co to toss out a class-action lawsuit on behalf of millions of owners with potentially faulty airbag inflators, even as the firms are moving to quickly settle death claims.

The Japanese companies have agreed to undisclosed settlements for six of eight deaths linked to ruptured inflators as US prosecutors ramp up a probe of the ruptures and whether regulators were misled. Four settlements have been reached in recent months.