THE U.S. auto safety regulator has told Japanese supplier Takata Corp. and five automakers to expand nationwide a regional recall of potentially lethal airbags, increasing pressure on the industry to move faster in a growing scandal.

    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) also scolded Takata for what it called “an unwillingness to move forward” on a nationwide recall, and said the company needs to be open with the U.S. public about the risks of its airbags.

    Takata and automakers have so far taken a targeted approach in recalling U.S. vehicles with airbags that can rupture upon deployment, shooting shrapnel into the car. Five fatalities, including four in the United States, have been linked to the airbags.

    The U.S. regional recall has involved 4.1 million cars in hot and humid areas where the airbags may be prone to fail, including Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana and parts of Texas along the Gulf of Mexico. Most of those cars are made by Honda Motor, Takata’s biggest client.

    In a call with reporters Tuesday, NHTSA Deputy Administrator David Friedman declined to estimate how many more cars would be included in a nationwide recall.(SD-Agencies)