Honda to recall about 380,000 vehicles over ignition switch

By W.J. Hennigan, Los Angeles Times

Aug. 10, 2010 12 AM PT

Honda Motor Co. said Monday that it was recalling more than 380,000 of its vehicles to fix a problem with the ignition switch that could lead to a vehicle rolling away and cause a collision.

The problem is that the ignition interlock mechanism on some vehicles can be damaged or worn during use. After that occurs, it could allow the ignition key to be removed without the car being shifted into park, allowing the car to roll away. It is Honda’s third recall related to the problem since 2003.

The Japanese automaker said it would recall about 197,000 Accords and 117,000 Civics from the 2003 model year and roughly 69,000 Element vehicles from the 2003 and 2004 model years in the United States.

Honda said that it received several complaints about such failures in the vehicles and that a handful of related incidents had been reported, including one that resulted in a minor injury.

The company said it would begin notifying customers of affected vehicles about the repair in late September. It encourages the vehicle owners to visit an authorized dealer as soon as they receive notification.

william.hennigan@latimes.com

Autos Business

W.J. Hennigan

W.J. Hennigan covered the Pentagon and national security issues from Washington, D.C., before leaving the Los Angeles Times bureau in November 2017. While there, he reported on war, counter-terrorism, and the lives of American service members from more than two dozen countries and previously covered the aerospace and defense industry from Los Angeles. Hennigan earned awards from the National Press Club, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, and was a contributor to the Los Angeles Times coverage of the terror attacks in San Bernardino that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2016.

Honda to recall about 380,000 vehicles over ignition switch

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