Honda recalling Acura TL sedans to fix power-steering hose
American Honda Motor Co. said it would recall 52,615 model year 2007-08 Acura TL sedans in the United States to replace the power-steering hose.
The automaker said the hose may deteriorate and leak fluid. That might cause a loss of power-steering assistance or, if it leaks onto a catalytic converter, may result in smoke or fire, Honda said.
No crashes, injuries or fires have been reported related to this issue.
The company said it wanted “to encourage owners of all affected vehicles to take their vehicles to an authorized dealer as soon as they receive notification of this recall from Acura.”
The notices will be mailed in mid-June. Owners can also determine whether their vehicles require repair by going online to https://www.recalls.acura.com or by calling (800) 382-2238 and selecting Option 4.
Getting owners to take their cars in for repair is more of a problem than most consumers realize, according to auto information company Edmunds.com.
In a report earlier this month, Edmunds.com said its analysis of two General Motors Co. recalls it examined showed a completion rate of just 52.5% as of December 2011. GM said its recalls generally reach a completion rate of about 70%. No other automaker would provide Edmunds.com with a completion rate for their recalls.
Often these unrepaired vehicles are sold to unsuspecting buyers who have no clue they are purchasing a flawed vehicle.
“There’s only so much the manufacturers can do to reach out to car owners; the responsibility for ensuring that a car has been checked for recalls ultimately rests with individual owners,” said Edmunds.com Senior Editor John O’Dell.
O’Dell said used-car buyers should register their vehicles with the automakers to make sure they’re in the loop on any existing or future recalls.
They should also check out the U.S. Department of Transportation’s https://www.safercar.gov, a database where a car buyer can look to see if a model is part of a recall.
