The company is recalling 936,000 cars worldwide from its Fit and CR-V lines to replace the master switch for the cars' power windows. A design flaw can allow residue from window cleaners to accumulate, which over time can degrade the switch's electrical contacts and potentially cause a fire. No injuries have been reported from the problem, which affects 80,111 cars in the United States from the CR-V's 2006 model year.
Honda (HMC) is also recalling cars from its CR-Z compact hybrid line that are equipped with a manual transmission. A software bug could allow the motor, under some conditions, to rotate in the opposite direction from the transmission's gear -- allowing the car to, for example, roll backwards when the transmission is in forward gear. No injuries have been reported. Honda plans to fix the problem with a software upgrade. The recall affects 26,000 vehicles worldwide, including 5,626 cars in the United States.
This is the second major recall for Honda in recent weeks, and a further setback for the Japanese carmaker as it struggles to recover from a run of bad news and sluggish sales. Honda recalled 1.5 million cars in the U.S. in early August to fix a transmission issue, and drew a scathing Consumer Reports review for the 2012 model year of its ultra-popular Civic compact car.
