Honda is recalling about 1.5 million vehicles to make a software change to reduce the chance of automatic transmissions being damaged, the automaker told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In a letter dated Wednesday, Honda told the safety agency that the affected vehicles were the 2005-10 Accord equipped with the 4-cylinder engine, the 2007–10 CR-V and the 2005–8 Element.
In a separate statement released on Friday, Honda said a software update was needed to “ease the transition between gears” and reduce the likelihood that the transmission’s secondary shaft bearing would be damaged if the transmission were to be shifted quickly between reverse, neutral and drive. The automaker said such an operation would be typical if the vehicle were stuck in mud or snow.
Honda said it was not aware of any accidents related to the problem.
The automaker has experienced a series of automatic transmissions problems over the years, including a recall of 1.1 million vehicles in 2004 and a class-action settlement in 2006.
Some owners who had their transmissions repaired under the 2004 recall have complained of experiencing failures after the presumed fixes were performed. Other owners who received warranty extensions as part of the class-action settlement reported transmission failures beyond the additional-coverage period secured in the settlement.
In other actions this week:
• Chrysler is telling the owners of about 300,000 minivans to bring the vehicles back in to fix an air bag problem that was thought to be remedied under a separate action in November.
The air bags could deploy without the vehicle being involved in a crash if condensation were to leak from a drain onto the module that controls the air bags, the automaker noted in a document posted Thursday on the agency’s Web site.
The affected models are the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan, Chrysler Grand Voyager and Chrysler Town & Country.
Last November, Chrysler recalled the same minivans because condensation could leak from a drain onto the module that controlled the air bags. It consequently modified the drainage system. But in its new report to the safety agency, the automaker said that fixing the drain was not enough and many of the air bag modules required replacement to avoid the same malfunction risk.
• Ford recalled about 1.1 million pickups because the straps holding the vehicles’ gas tanks could rust, allowing the tanks to break free. The automaker was responding to an investigation by the safety agency that covered 2.7 million vehicles.
Ford, with the approval of the agency, is recalling only vehicles sold or registered in states where road salt is used heavily, which is known as a geographic recall.
The vehicles being recalled are the 1997–2003 F-150; 2004 F-150 Heritage; 1997–99 F-250 with a gross vehicle weight under 8,500 pounds; and 2002–3 Lincoln Blackwood.
• The agency has intensified its investigation into wheel-stud fractures on 317,000 Ford Fusions and Mercury Milans from the 2010 model year.
The agency said it was aware of 29 complaints about the studs breaking, including four where the wheel separated from the vehicle. There were no reports of accidents.In January, the agency began a preliminary evaluation of the problem. In response, Ford told the agency that “significant noise and or vibration is present prior to any risk of a wheel separation and that it is highly unlikely that a vehicle would fracture all five wheel studs simultaneously.”
Despite Ford’s assertions, the agency’s upgraded investigation, called an engineering analysis, indicates the agency has reason for concern.
Honda, Chrysler and Ford each described their recalls as voluntary, but under federal regulations, once a manufacturer is aware of a safety problem it has no choice but to notify the agency of its plan for a recall.
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