American Honda Recalls 871,000 Honda, Acura Models with Ignition Problems

The American Honda Motor Company today issued a statement regarding the voluntary recall of approximately 871,000 of its Honda manufactured vehicles.

American Honda will recall 318,000 Honda Odyssey minivans and 259,000 Honda Pilot SUVs, model year 2003 to 2004, in addition to 230,000 Acura MDX SUVs, model years 2003 to 2006, sold in the United States.

The recall is in response to 43 complaints that were filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, as owners of these vehicles have reported 16 crashes with two injuries reported, one minor and one more serious as a result of the deficiency.

The apparent problem stems from a defect in the ignition interlock interface feature of the selected vehicles. The mechanism of the ignition can be damaged and worn out over time, allowing the ignition key to be removed when the vehicle is not properly placed in the park position. If the transmission is left in gear in this manner and the parking brake is not applied, the vehicle could roll away and cause damage and injury.

The American Honda Motor Company has voluntarily announced this recall in an effort to encourage owners of all the affected vehicles to take those vehicles to an authorized dealership as soon as they receive the notification of this recall in the mail. The mailers will be sent out early in February 2013.

You can find out if your vehicle is one of the recalled vehicles that requires repair by going online to www.recalls.Honda.com or www.recalls.Acura.com, or by calling 1-800-999-1009 for Honda owners, or 1-800-382-2238 for Acura owners and select option four.

According to the NHTSA, in the 16 reported crashes because of the ignition switch problem, two people received injuries, one minor, and in the other case the driver reported receiving a broken leg after being run over by his 2003 Honda Odyssey minivan.

Last year at this time, Honda recall 304,000 vehicles distributed globally, over airbag concerns, and it was the sixth recall over this issue since 2008 for the exact same problem.

Toyota recently recalled some of its high-end Prius hybrids and non-hybrids,  and has had numerous recall problems in the last few years.

Toyota and Honda have built a reputation over the years for quality and craftsmanship, but this recent spate of recalls in the last 10 years has soured some people on their vehicles.

Regardless, Toyota cars and trucks still hold more of the original manufacturer’s suggested retail price than any other vehicle on the planet.

Article by Jim Donahue