DETROIT - Volkswagen resisted U.S. government efforts to recall more cars and trucks to fix potentially deadly Takata air bags - telling safety regulators that a recall isn't necessary.

But the German automaker, already in hot water for cheating on U.S. pollution tests, eventually agreed to the recall, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Friday.Volkswagen AG is recalling about 850,000 Audi and VW vehicles in the U.S. from model years 2006 to 2014. But in a letter to the safety agency, the company said the request to recall most of the vehicles "may be overbroad," adding most VW and Audi vehicles have air bag inflators made at Takata's factory in Freiberg, Germany, which have not experienced failures like those made in the U.S. and Mexico. VW did not start using Mexican-made inflators until the 2012 model year.The letter and lengthy negotiations with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over how to fix diesel engines that pollute too much show a willingness on Volkswagen's part to push back against federal agencies when it doesn't agree. But in the EPA case, it's likely to bring millions of dollars in fines and perhaps even criminal charges.Last month NHTSA pushed VW and five other automakers to recall over 5 million vehicles after a Takata air bag inflator exploded in a 2006 Ford Ranger in December, killing a 52-year-old South Carolina man. Volkswagen uses inflators like the ones in the Ranger, according to documents.On Feb. 1, Volkswagen proposed a study to find the cause of the inflator problems, but the NHTSA said it wouldn't agree to a study without a recall. VW agreed to the recall seven days later.Unlike most other air bag makers, Takata uses the chemical ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion and quickly inflate its air bags. But the chemical can deteriorate when exposed for a long time to high temperatures and humidity. If that happens, the chemical can blow apart a metal canister designed to contain the explosion, hurling shrapnel into drivers or passengers.At least 10 people have died worldwide from the problem and 139 have been injured.By agreeing to the recall, Volkswagen avoided a showdown with NHTSA at the same time it is negotiating with the EPA about the pollution test cheating.VW admitted last year to installing computer software on 2.0-liter diesel engines in some of its most popular models. The software recognizes when the cars are being tested on a treadmill and turns on pollution controls. It turns them off when the cars return to real roads, allowing them to pollute at a rate up to 40 times higher than allowed by law.The company and the EPA have been haggling over plans to fix the cars for nearly five months with no solution in sight. There are about 600,000 Volkswagen diesels on U.S. roads with cheating software and about 11 million worldwide.