By Tony Field
Hot on the heels of Toyota, Peugeot and Citroen, another car maker has had to launch an international safety recall.
Honda New Zealand is recalling over 6500 Jazz vehicles to check for a faulty power switch that, when exposed to enough moisture, could cause a fire.
The recall follows reports that a child died in South Africa when a fire broke out in a car. The concern is that the power switches could start smoking if they are exposed too long to heavy rain, or even a spilt drink.
“There is something like 2.3 million cars been produced, of which 600,000 could be recalled – we understand there has only been three fires” says Honda NZ Managing Director Graham Seymour.
Mechanics will remove the power switch to check for water damage in the circuit board. If necessary they will be replaced, or a plastic cover added.
“It is perfectly okay to still drive the car. The advice is that if it is raining you should keep your window shut,” says Mr Seymour.
The recall involves cars made between 2002 and 2003, and from 2006 until late 2008.
Honda says the recall does not involve Japanese-used imports because the power switches in those cars were made by a different supplier.
But Honda’s problems pale beside Toyota’s, whose American sales fell 16 percent last month, as it recalled millions of cars that might have faulty accelerators.
The US Government’s top car safety official has slammed Toyota, saying it took an enormous effort to get the company to launch a recall.
A former US Road Safety Regulator, Joan Claybrook, claims Toyota has long been resistant to regulation.
“I think Toyota has been recalcitrant and very secretive,” says Ms Claybrook.
“It does not like to recall vehicles, and I think it did everything it can to delay this issue.”
Toyota says it first became aware of sticking accelerator pedals back in 2007 – but thought drivers, not its cars, were at fault.
Now the US Government is investigating reports of problems in cars not on the official recall list – including two fatal accidents in which the vehicles’ entire electronic systems are under suspicion.
3 News