Honda, Car Recall | featured news

Honda, Toyota, Nissan and Mazda are recalling about 3.3 million vehicles worldwide because the passenger-side air bag could deploy with too much force, sending shards of metal into the passenger area.

The latest recall covers Honda Pilot models produced during the 2009 through 2013 model-years and Odyssey minivans from 2011 through 2013. Customers are being asked to take the vehicles to their dealers for inspection of the driver’s-side airbags and, if necessary, for repairs.It’s the latest in a series of problems Honda has had with airbags that have now resulted in the recall of several million vehicles in recent years. That includes one problem in which airbags could inflate over-aggressively, causing shrapnel to fire into the passenger compartment.

A defect could allow the vehicles to roll away, the automaker said. The recall covers the 2003-4 Pilot and Odyssey and the 2003-6 Acura MDX.

Japan’s two largest automakers appear to be locked in a race to achieve the dubious distinction of having recalled more vehicles than any other automaker during 2012 for an array of safety-related problems.

Honda Motor Co. said Monday it was set to voluntarily recall 936,000 cars globally to repair problems with power windows and computer equipment. Honda said no serious injuries or fatal accidents were reported due to the problems, and the repair bill would be limited to about $17 million in Japan.

Honda is recalling 2.5 million cars and SUVs worldwide  to repair the software that controls the automatic transmission, the automaker said.

Honda Motor Co. is expanding a recall so it can check the driver's air bags on another 833,000 vehicles for a possible defect.

Honda is recalling 197,000 Accord and 117,000 Civic sedans as well as 69,000 Element sport-utility vehicles in the U.S. to fix a potential problem that could allow a driver to remove the key when the car is in gear.

Honda Motor is recalling about 167,000 Acura TSX sports sedans in the U.S. to replace a power-steering hose that could deteriorate and lead to smoke or fire.

Honda Motor Co will recall about 412,000 vehicles in the United States to address the risk that brake pedals may feel soft and slip closer to the floor over time, the company said on Tuesday.