Hawaii sues Takata, Honda over unsafe, defective air bags

HONOLULU (AP) — The state of Hawaii is suing Japanese manufacturer Takata over defective air bags they say threaten peoples' lives.

Independent reports have concluded that a chemical used in Takata air bags — ammonium nitrate — can degrade when exposed to heat and humidity, which can trigger explosions.

Takata switched to ammonium nitrate, a cheaper component for the inflator of the company's air bags, despite the fact that it was widely known to be an unstable and dangerous chemical, Levins said.

Earlier this month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it was adding up to 40 million air bags to the ongoing recall of 28.8 million air bags made by Takata.