Honda Motor Co. has chosen a competitor of embattled Takata Corp. to supply air bags for the next North American version of its Accord sedan, the automaker's best-selling vehicle, two people with knowledge of the decision said.
In the first major defection by a carmaker since Takata's safety crisis began, Honda, Takata's largest customer, will use air bags made by Toyoda Gosei for the all-new Accord, scheduled to go on sale in August 2017, the people said.
Honda's decision to shift to a competitor for the most important vehicle in its largest market represents a major blow for Takata after a safety crisis involving its air bags that forced the recall for more than 21 million vehicles globally.
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