Honda recalls close to a million cars worldwide

Honda Motor Co. says it will recall a total of 962,000 cars worldwide – more than 13,000 of those in Canada – to fix power windows and computer systems.

Honda Canada will voluntarily recall 13,151 CR-V vehicles from the 2006 model year to replace the power window master switch. The design of the power window master switch can allow residue from interior cleaners to accumulate, which can, over time, cause the electrical contacts to degrade and may lead to a fire in the switch. No injuries or deaths have been reported related to this condition.

Additionally, Honda Canada will voluntarily recall 619 CR-Z vehicles from the 2011 model year equipped with manual transmissions to update the software that controls the hybrid electric motor. In the affected vehicles, when the gasoline engine has stalled with the Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) battery in a very low state of charge and the transmission in gear, it is possible for the electric motor to rotate in the direction opposite to that selected by the transmission. If this occurs and the driver has not engaged the brakes, the vehicle may slowly roll in an unexpected direction (e.g., backwards when the transmission is in a forward gear). A software update will add further controls to correct the problem. There have been no incidents reported related to this condition.

Notification to customers will begin in late September 2011.

“When Honda identifies concerns of this nature, nothing is more important to the company than fulfilling our obligation and responsibility to alert our customers,” the company said in a statement. Honda said that, in addition to contacting customers by mail after late September, owners of these vehicles will be able to determine if their vehicles require repair by going online after September 8, 2011, to www.honda.ca/recalls or by calling 1-888-946-6329.

– With files from The Canadian Press