Honda Recalling 428,000 Accord, Civic and Element Models for Ignition Issue
Honda has announced a recall of 428,000 vehicles in both the U.S. and Canada due to a problem with the ignition system that could cause a vehicle to roll away.
The recall affects Honda Accord, Civic and Element models from 2003 and 2004 as well as the Acura 1.7EL in Canada.
The models in question have an ignition interlock feature that will prevent the driver from removing the key is the car is not placed in park. The current ignition interlock system may fail with several crashes reportedly resulting so far.
Get full details on the recall after the jump:
PRESS RELEASE
08/09/2010 – TORRANCE, Calif. –
Honda will recall approximately 197,000 Accord and 117,000 Civic vehicles from the 2003 model year and roughly 69,000 Element vehicles from the 2003 and 2004 model years in the U.S. to prevent a malfunction of the ignition interlock feature of these vehicles. 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.
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 Park. 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 is announcing this recall to encourage all owners of affected vehicles to take their vehicle to an authorized dealer as soon as they receive notification from Honda that their vehicle requires repair. Notification to customers will start in late September, 2010.
When Honda identifies concerns of this nature, nothing is more important to the company than fulfilling our obligation and responsibility to alert our customers. To this end, in addition to contacting customers by mail, after Sept. 20, 2010, owners of these vehicles will be able to determine if their vehicle requires repair by going on-line or calling Honda. Honda owners can go to www.recalls.honda.com or call (800) 999-1009, and select option 4.
With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.
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This is not the only safety and design issue with the Honda Accord. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has over 1100 complaints on file about the 2003 Honda Accord. Of the 1144 complaints (as of August 7, 2010) referred to this agency, 383 fall into the "power train: automatic transmission category." Information from the NHTSA web-site (http://www.safercar.gov) reveals that in the 2003 Honda Accord, transmission failure occurs quickly and many times at highway speeds. The complaints from NHTSA are mostly similar to each other in that the vast majority of the failures happen suddenly at higher speeds and the car's occupant(s) are often unsafely jolted forward while coming to a near stop in the travel lanes. This is a serious safety issue. Coming to a near complete stop from 60 or 70 miles per hour, in some reported cases, has resulted in some injuries and will eventually result in someone's death. In April of 2004, Honda issued a recall on the automatic transmissions of Honda Accords, Odysseys, Pilots and Acura 3.2CL and 3.2TL models. According to Honda's own press release, "this condition may lead to gear breakage and possible locking of the vehicle's transmission, creating a potential safety hazard." The very same potential failures cited in the 2004 recall have become frequent for owners of these vehicles in the years subsequent to the recall and the resulting "transmission lockup", referred to in the recall, that "could result in a crash" has become a reality for many. Honda was supposed to fix the problem when it issued the 2004 recall, however, it appears the company tried to do the cheapest thing for its bottom line in an attempt to have these vehicles fail after the warranty had expired. By not fixing the problem they are putting lives at risk. Honda's blatant disregard for the safety of its customers and the public at large is best exemplified its refusal to take responsibility for the safety and design flaws engineered into their cars. It is no wonder that Honda has 14.26% of the share of automobile fatalities in the United States. Need More Information About This Issue? E-Mail: recall03accord@gmail.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Recall-2003-Honda-Accord/128740053827828 Twitter: http://twitter.com/Recall03Accord Web: http://www.wix.com/Recall03Accord/Recall-The-2003-Accord YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/Recall03HondaAccord