12th August, 2011
Honda has issued a recall for 2.5 million vehicles globally, including 1.5 million in the US, for a software upgrade to the vehicles’ transmission control module.
The models covered in the recall are the Accord (2005-2010 model year), CR-V (2007-2010) as well as the Element from 2005-2008, all equipped with four-cylinder engines.
The company says if the transmission is shifted rapidly between reverse, neutral and drive, especially in an attempt to free the vehicle from being stuck in mud, this can damage a secondary shaft bearing in the transmission. If damage occurs, this can lead to the engine stalling or make it difficult to engage the transmission into park.
The software fix eases the transition among the gears, and Honda says there have been no reports of accidents resulting to physical injuries related to this problem. The other million vehicles being recalled globally are 760,000 units in China and 135,142 in Canada.
Similarly, the Honda Accord Crosstour didn’t get off to the best of starts so Honda is dumping it. Born as a model year 2010 car, the media didn’t quite like it, and it looks like not many customers do as well. In July, Honda sold just 1,477 units of the odd looking crossover, 35% less than the same month last year. 2011 year to date figures read 11,518 units versus 15,655 for the same period in 2010.
Against that backdrop, Honda has decided to drop the Accord name for the model, which from model year 2012 onwards will be called just Crosstour. No reasons were given, though. Perhaps the association wasn’t bringing any good to the Accord nameplate, which remains popular, and the same association has failed to give any boost to the Crosstour. Of the big Japanese carmakers, Honda looks to be the most affected by the earthquake/tsunami disaster, and it will be betting heavily on the success of mainstays such as the new Civic.