Honda recalls that more than 200,000 vehicles for shift problem locking

Paul A. Eisenstein, the Detroit Bureau - 2 days

Already hammered by a series of recalls, so far more than 1 million have involved vehicles since the beginning of the year, Honda added another 200,000 sedans, crossovers and minivans to the list of the latest recall, the problems with the manufacturer-shift interlock system.

The new recall comes as a particular embarrassment of the manufacturer to put Luxury Division, implications for the recently launched Acura RDX, which was intended, a high-tech-Halo around the brand.

About 17,500 of the 2013 sedans from the recall, along with 128,000 Honda CR-VS and 59,000 Odyssey minivans, Acura RDX the latter two models fall while he sold model year 2012 and 2013.

Analysts say that the width of the callback reflects the fact that the automakers are trying today to share components from a variety of products to reduce costs. But the strategy can backfire, if a problem occurs.

In this case, Honda, means "be to comply with temperatures after the first use of the vehicle shift lever mechanism can move the vehicle transmission from the Park position to depressingly possible without the brake pedal."

The issue is particularly sensitive for Honda had to could the 870,000 "outliers" Odyssey vans December last year remember, because it is inadvertently moved without transfer to Park will be closed. 370,000 Honda cars recall previously involved in a similar two years.

This latest recall comes just a week after the Japanese manufacturer announced that it lead 470,000 older sedans, vans and crossovers due to faulty airbags, the misfire or even, remember that fire a vehicle would.

In this case was Honda of one of the four manufacturers with airbags, the supplied parts of the Japanese manufacturer TAKATA. Overall, more than 3 million vehicles are covered worldwide by this product recall.

Meanwhile, Honda announced another in January airbag-related could remember, do this one because of missing rivets, which provide safety equipment not properly in a crash.

Was known for its quality and reliability that Honda reminds one of the two top brands in terms of the number of vehicles in the US market for the last four years.

The Japanese manufacturer says it has received no complaints from customers, Word crashes or injuries related to the shift interlock problem. But the situation could cause problems if not corrected. It plans to inform the affected customers directly by mid-May and repairs free of charge.

Owners can find out even more, the manufacturer says, by "go online www.recalls.honda.com and www.recalls.acura.com or by calling (800) 999-1009 for Honda owners or (800) 382-2238 for Acura owner, option 4."

Copyright © 2009-2013, the Detroit Bureau

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GM recalling almost 474,000 cars over gear shift

General Motors Co is recalling 473,841 Chevrolet, Pontiac and Saturn sedans globally to fix a condition that could lead the cars to roll when the drivers think they are in park, the No. 1 U.S. automaker said on Friday.

GM said it was aware of four crashes that resulted from the problem, but no injuries.

The company said the recall affected Chevy Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura cars from model years 2007 through 2010 and equipped with four-speed automatic transmissions. GM will repair the condition in which the transmission gear position may not match the gear on the shifter.

The recall affects 426,240 in the United States, 40,029 in Canada and 7,572 in other markets.

Dealers will add a reinforcement to the shift cable end fitting to prevent that part from fracturing, GM said. Owners will be notified by letter to schedule the free repairs at dealers, and those who have had the work done already will be eligible for reimbursement.

The company also said it was recalling 6,475 Chevy Sonic subcompact cars globally because they might not alert the driver to a faulty turn-signal bulb.

Dealers will reprogram an incorrectly calibrated module for the cars built between May 29 and August 29 at GM's Orion, Michigan, plant.

The recall affects 4,716 cars in the United States and 1,759 in other markets.

GM said it was unaware of any crashes or injuries stemming from the problem. Owners will be notified of the Sonic recall by letter beginning Oct. 3.

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters.

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Regulators probing gear shift in GM cars

By The Associated Press

Federal safety regulators are investigating problems with the automatic shift levers on several General Motors Co. cars that have caused at least seven crashes.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on its website Monday that the probe began with complaints about the Saturn Aura midsize car from the 2007 and 2008 model years, affecting nearly 89,000 vehicles.

But the agency said it is now checking to see if the problems extend to other GM vehicles. The Chevrolet Malibu from the 2004 to 2008 model years and the Pontiac G6 from the 2005 to 2008 model years have similar shifting systems, the agency said in documents filed on its website.

NHTSA said the protective jacket around cables connecting the floor shift lever to the transmission can deteriorate, exposing the cables to the elements. Cables can corrode and weaken, and the shift lever position may not match the car's gear. That means a driver could put the car in park but the transmission could be in drive or reverse. In some cases, the car may not shift at all.

The agency said it received three reports of crashes caused by the problem, while GM reported four, with one person hurt. In that crash, the driver put the gearshift in park, got out of the car, and was hit when the car unexpectedly rolled backward, NHTSA said in documents filed on its website. No details were given on whether the driver was seriously hurt.

In another case, a driver put the car in park, but the transmission stayed in reverse. "When the driver exited with the engine running, the vehicle continued (accelerated) in reverse and struck a building," NHTSA said.

GM told the agency that the problem affects mainly models with four-speed transmissions, but not six-speed transmissions.
Company spokesman Alan Adler said GM is cooperating in the investigation.

NHTSA said it has upgraded the investigation to an analysis that will check how many times the cables have failed, the consequences "and the scope of vehicles that may be affected, including the models, model years and transmission types."

An investigation doesn't necessarily mean that the vehicles will be recalled.

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