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Honda Motors to recall 410000 vehicles
by Neha Gupta - March 17, 2010 - comments
This recall is the second recall by the company in the past two months, the earlier one being in February wherein 952118 vehicles were recalled by the company due to air bag issues.
Honda Motors Corp. has publicly announced on Monday that it would recall more than 410000 vehicles due to a braking software problem.
344000 Odysseys and 68000 Elements from the 2007 and 2008 model years would be recalled by the company due to a brake issue that can make stopping the vehicles tougher.
“Over time, brake pedals can feel "soft" and must be pressed closer to the floor to stop the vehicles. Left unrepaired, the problem could cause loss of braking power and possibly a crash”, Honda spokesman Chris Martin said.
"It's definitely not operating the way it should, and it's safety systems, so it brings it to the recall status," he said.
The announcement was made after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s reported three vehicle crashes due to the brake fault.
The electronic stability control system lead to the failure
Honda suspects a dysfunction in the “vehicle stability assist modulator” device of the vehicles as the potential cause behind the problem.
The repairs have been scheduled towards the end of April due to the unavailability of the spare parts.
When the vehicle is started, the modulator often allows an air bubble to enter into the hydraulic brake lines, leading to the loss of the braking power.
The final repair would involve the use of plastic caps and sealants in order to restrict the air from getting inside the brake system, revealed the investigation team.
Repair scheduled in April
Owners ought to wait for a letter from the company before queuing up for the repair, the officials said.
The repairs have been scheduled towards the end of April due to the unavailability of the spare parts.
Thereby, owners have been requested to visit the dealers for a temporary repair until the parts finally arrive.
While the list of affected vehicles is being made by the automakers, owners can determine their recall status by visiting the site http://www.recalls.honda.com. or by calling on (800)999-1009 post April 19.
The company intends to recall the maximum possible units of the vehicle in order to ensure the safety of its customers.
"Although not all vehicles being recalled are affected by this issue, we are recalling all possible units to assure all customers that their vehicles will perform correctly," Honda said in a statement.
Second recall in two months
This recall is the second recall by the company in the past two months, the earlier one being in February wherein 952118 vehicles were recalled by the company due to air bag issues.
However, the recall is much smaller in comparison to the similar recalls by Toyota Motor Corp and Ford Motor Corp due to braking software issues.