Honda recalls 484,626 cars to fix faulty ignition switch

Japanese Automobile manufacturer, Honda Motor Co. Ltd. said on Wednesday it would recall and repair a combined 484,626 units of the Odyssey (sold as the Shuttle in some European markets), CR-V and Step Wagon (not generally sold in Europe), models in Japan and China to fix a faulty ignition switch that could cause the engine to stop.

Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan automaker submitted the recall request to China's State Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine on Monday, saying that the defective ignition switch could cause the engine to cease.

The recall and repairs would slap the company with 2.73 billion yen ($ 23.70 million), a Honda's spokeswoman Yu Kimoto said.
The auto producer said in its filing that the vehicles engine can suddenly stop because some of its parts can be damaged by heat if used repeatedly over time.

Of the total, 483,185 affected units are in Japan and were built between October 1994 and May 1997, the automaker said in a filing with Japan's transport ministry.

Another 1,441 units of Odyssey vehicles would be recalled in China. These units of Odyssey vehicles, subjected to the recall, include one model produced between Nov. 8, 1995 and Sept. 24, 1996, and another model produced between Nov. 6, 1996 and May 6, 1997. While 76,968 units of the exported Odyssey, CR-V and Step Wagon models may be subject to recall elsewhere, depending on local regulations.

Most of the exports cover the Odyssey minivan retailed in North America. However, no accidents have been reported overseas so far, the spokeswoman Kimoto said, yet some people in Japan suffered burns from contact with melted ignition switches.
According to reports there have been five cases of driver burns after solder used in defective parts melted and dropped onto their feet.