Chris Woodyard

USA TODAY

The single shrapnel-spewing deployment of an air bag in an old Accord has led Honda to expand its recall by 500,000 to 1 million vehicles. The expansion is limited to cars in California.

Honda, one of eight automakers caught up in the recalls of Takata air bags, had ordered three recalls on June 23. One was national and the other was limited to Southern states with high humidity and two U.S. territories.

At the time, Honda said the total number of vehicles involved in the recalls would be in excess of 2 million. Then the California air bag incident in a 2005 Accord occurred. Spokesman Chris Martin says the total is now about 3 million, including vehicles registered in California.

It's the same problem as always: The air bags made by Japan's Takata can rupture with too much force when a crash occurs. When they do, they spew metal chunks that can injure a car's occupants.

Included in the recall to replace the passenger-side air bags are certain 2003 to 2005 Honda Accords, Civics, CR-Vs, Elements, Pilots, Acura MDX and 2005 Acura RLs and 2003 to 2004 Honda Odysseys. Until California was added, the recall was limited to Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

A second recall to replace the driver's front air bag included 2001 to 2007 Accords with four-cylinder engines, 2001-2002 Accords with V-6 engines, 2001 to 2005 Civics, 2002-to 2006 CR-Vs, 2003 to 2011 Elements, 2002 to 2004 Odysseys, 2003 to 2007 Pilots, 2006 Ridgelines, 2003 to 2006 Acura MDXs and 2002 to 2003 Acura TLs and CLs from the same states, now including California.

Those recalls were in addition to the national recall, which roped in certain 2002 to 2003 Civics, CR-Vs and Odysseys; 2003 Accords, Elements, Pilots and Acura MDXs to replace the passenger's front air bag inflator.