Honda of Japan recalling 420,000 over key interlock
Honda is calling back some 423,344 vehicles in its home market of Japan over faulty key interlocks which allow keys to be removed from the ignition when the gearshift is in positions other than 'park.' The problem affects a total of nine models, including the Fit, Stream, Civic and Civic Hybrid, CR-V, Mobilio, Integra. and Step WGN. Regardless of the model, all vehicles affected date from between April of 2001 and March of 2002, and all are packing automatic transmissions.
[Source: Sydney Morning Herald; Honda]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tom Design 11:31PM (5/31/2006)
Wait, this is a Japanese product made by Japanese workers in Japan. They made 423,344 of these before we noticed something wrong, okay, just checking...:P
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Stoneman 11:44PM (5/31/2006)
There's also rumours of Lexus fixing some of their key fobs which only used 48-bit encryption. Thieves would drive by in laptops and attempt to decode the owners FOB when he opens or closes the door. I guess it would be relatively simple to do.
Stoneman
http://www.stonemanautoreview.com
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SOhp101 2:19AM (6/01/2006)
The keyless hacking w/ the laptops is a problem with all companies with keyless ignition, including Mercedes Benz and BMW and many other luxury marques.
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Tom Design 2:47AM (6/01/2006)
SOhp101 => I'm not sure about the Mobilio and the Stream, but these are not luxury cars: "the Fit, Stream, Civic and Civic Hybrid, CR-V, Mobilio, Integra" are pretty basic transport. They can't hide behind the Germans' infamous claim of luxury high tech comes with a certain unreliability. These Hondas are the bread-and-butter, better-run-forever models.
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SOhp101 3:29AM (6/01/2006)
The problem listed in the article and the problem mentioned by comment #3 are two completely different problems.
Learn to read.
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Talis 4:05AM (6/01/2006)
WOW! You mean Asian car companies make mistakes too??? I never would have thought that an auto maker besides GM could mess up technology!
Again, I've been saying this for more years than I can remember... Cars today have so many moving parts, complex electrical systems, and high tolerances problems are bound to happen and happen in the hundreds of thousands. Nothing new, really; as this happens to every manufacture all of the time with no difference in development time/budget.
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Richard Warren 4:53AM (6/01/2006)
Just goes to prove thieves are better engineers than than those who the auto makers have working for them.
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Howard Kerr 6:35AM (6/01/2006)
I'm not surprized to read this. I have a '92 Integra with an automatic trans. and I can just about do this (remove the key from the ignition in a gear other than park). I always assumed it was because the car had more than 100,000 miles on it and/or that at some point in the past it may have been wrecked. For the moment, what it sometimes does now is "locks" the steering column but refuses to let you remove the key without A LOT of steering wheel twirling.
Something tells me though, a '92 isn't covered under this recall.
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Howard Kerr 6:35AM (6/01/2006)
I'm not surprized to read this. I have a '92 Integra with an automatic trans. and I can just about do this (remove the key from the ignition in a gear other than park). I always assumed it was because the car had more than 100,000 miles on it and/or that at some point in the past it may have been wrecked. For the moment, what it sometimes does now is "locks" the steering column but refuses to let you remove the key without A LOT of steering wheel twirling.
Something tells me though, a '92 isn't covered under this recall.
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Aaron 9:15AM (6/01/2006)
There was a similar issue with this in America with some Hondas and Acuras.
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2003/11/03/172037.html
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Vinny 9:30AM (6/01/2006)
Your right Tallis. Japan cars sucks as bad as ours. I'm just not sure that this is of the same caliber as the roof of a $90,000 Corvette flying off during driving or catching on fire though sitting in a garage for two weeks straight like a F150.
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gbh 12:32PM (6/01/2006)
Once again, thousands of parts, hundreds of subcontractors, sooner or later, something always goes wrong. For everybody, but yes, some more than others.
The moment of truth is, once again, what does the company do when it happens? Deny the problem, tell you the car is ~5 years old, whaddya expect?
Or do they recall and fix it?
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Tom Design 7:49PM (6/01/2006)
Vinny => You're right it's not in the league like Prius' steering mechanisms falling off, or Avalons with crapped automatic trannies, or Audi's with sudden acceleration syndrome, or Mercedes with wireless braking systems failing. You're on the ball!
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Shaun McMahon 3:12AM (6/02/2006)
"7. Just goes to prove thieves are better engineers than than those who the auto makers have working for them."
All they have to do is find a flaw in the design. Takes probably a 1000000th of the know-how as it takes to design a motor vehicle.
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Phydeaux 8:06PM (6/02/2006)
See this is why I never buy an american product... what a piece of crap... GM builds vehicles that need recalling the moment the leave those crappy UAW plants... oh wait... this is Honda in Japan. Move along... Never mind... ***Delete delete delete***
(I'm being sarcastic for notorious anti GM people on the board)
- GM WHO??? (knows nothing)
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