Old issues with Civics, Elements and Accords spark a Honda recall

In 2003 and 2005, Honda recalled more than 1.4 million automobiles over a problem with the shift interlock system. The Honda recall for 2010 has been announced because of the very same problem. This recall covers some 2003 and 2004 Honda Elements, 2003 Accords, and 2003 Civics. Post resource – Honda recalls Accords, Civics and Elements over old problem by Automobile Deal Expert.

The Honda recall shift interlock problem

The 2003, 2005, and 2010 Honda recalls have been because of the shift interlock system. The shift interlock is the system that prevents the key from being removed if the shifter is not in park. If this system malfunctions, the auto can roll away. 17 separate accidents are attributed to this malfunction. Most often, the problem happens when the vehicle is parked and also the key removed, even though the shifter has not fully engaged the “park” setting. When left like this, cars will roll out of parking spaces, sometimes into traffic or other dangerous situations.

NHTSA investigation of Honda recall

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation into the shift interlock problem. The agency upgraded their investigation from “query” to “engineering analysis” in 2009. Honda recalls are also being investigated for their “timeliness”. If the NHTSA finds that Honda has not responded “promptly, truthfully, and completely” to issues that are worthy of a recall, they could very well be facing civil fines. There is also an ongoing investigation, related to the expanded 2009 recall over air bag deployment.

Vehicles included within the 2010 Honda recall

The full list of recalled Honda vehicles could be released in September of 2010. There could be about 197,000 Honda Accords, 117,000 Civics, and 69,000 Elements included in this recall. This exact same issue has caused two previous recalls that included the 1998-2002 Accord, 1999 Odyssey, 1999-2000 Acura TL, 1997-99 Acura CL, and 1997-2001 Prelude. If you receive official notification of the recall from Honda, you are designed to take your car in to a Honda dealer. If you need more data about the recall, call 800-999-1009 or visit www.recalls.honda.com.