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By Bloomberg

Honda Motor Co., the automaker worst affected by the global safety crisis involving defective air bags, said it had used inflators made by a second company under investigation in the U.S. for suspected flaws.

Honda installed inflators made by ARC Automotive Inc. in an undetermined number of vehicles produced around 2000 to 2001, spokesman Teruhiko Tatebe said in a response to a query. The automaker is checking the specific number of affected autos and whether there’s a need to recall them.

Inflators made by ARC Automotive, which supplied parts to minivans made by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and a Kia Motors Corp. sedan, were involved in two incidents reported to regulators that merit further investigation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Tuesday in documents posted on its website.

ARC Automotive, a closely held maker of air-bag inflators based in Knoxville, Tennessee, has said it was notified about the defect investigation and is cooperating.

Honda has recalled more than 20 million vehicles globally to fix air bags made by Tokyo-based Takata Corp. Eight people have been killed in Honda cars due to the flaws in Takata’s air bags, which can rupture during deployment and propel shards at vehicle occupants.