Honda recalls 137,000 SUVs for sudden air bag deployments

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co said on Wednesday it is recalling 137,000 new sport utility vehicles (SUVs) following reports of three injuries tied to sudden air bag deployments in the United States.

The Japanese-based automaker said it is recalling the 2019 CR-V to replace steering wheel wire harnesses and supplemental restraint system cable reels after six unexpected driver air bag deployments that occurred without a crash. There are so far no reports of related crashes, the automaker said.

The recall includes 118,000 vehicles in the United States and 19,000 in Korea and Canada.

Metal burrs on the interior surface of the steering wheel may result in damage that could lead to a short circuit and overheating of components, Honda said.

The issue is separate from a series of recalls Honda has conducted over the last decade to replace more than 21 million defective Takata air bag inflators in about 12.9 million U.S. vehicles that Honda has said are responsible for 14 U.S. deaths.

Honda also said it was recalling 19,000 U.S. vehicles that may have had Takata inflator replacement kits that were improperly installed before May 2018.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by G Crosse and Anshuman Daga)