Honda to recall 428,000 vehicles in US, Canada
10 Aug 2010
Honda Motor Co yesterday said that it will recall more than 428,000 vehicles in the US and Canada to fix a potential problem with their ignition locking devices.
Honda said that the recall is for 384,220 units of the Accord, Civic and Element models from the 2003 and 2004 model years in the US, while the Canadian recall covers about 44,000 vehicles mainly the Accords and Civics as well as some Acura 1.7ELs.
The Japanese carmaker said that the ignition interlock mechanism can be damaged or worn during use. If this happens, it may become possible to remove the ignition key when the shift lever is not in the 'park' position.
If the transmission is not in 'park' and the parking brake is not set, the vehicle could roll away, and a crash could occur.
"Honda has received several complaints about such failures in these vehicles and is aware of a small number of related incidents, including one that resulted in a minor injury," Honda said in a statement.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been investigating this problem on the 2002 model year Accord since September 2008 after receiving 11 accident reports from consumers related to the defect.