Honda is to recall 383,000 vehicles in the US next month to check the ignition interlock system.
The automaker has received several complaints about the failures and said a small number of crashes and one minor injury had been reported in connection with the recalled vehicles.
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US media reports noted this was Honda’s third recall to address the issue in recent years and followed a nearly two-year investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The recall is for 197,000 2003 Accord and 117,000 2003 Civic models and about 2003-2004 Element models.
A Honda US spokesman told the Detroit News that, although faulty ignition interlocks were common to all three recalls – the others were in 2003 and 2005 – different problems were to blame and the parts were different.
NHTSA said in a statement that Honda was right that the “underlying defect differs from previous recalls,” but the agency warned that “the potential safety risk is the same.”
Honda said the ignition interlock mechanism can be damaged or worn during use and if this occurs, it may be possible to remove the ignition key when the shift lever is not in park. If the parking brake is not set, the vehicle could roll away, and a crash could occur.
It will replace the original interlock pin and lever with redesigned components.
Honda UK told just-auto that only about 10 cars in the European Union are affected by the recall – and only in Germany and Belgium – and customers will be contacted in September.
“There are 10 cars throughout the whole of Europe that will require repair – there are no incidents reported to us,” a spokesman said.
