Detroit, Michigan — May 5, 2014 — The automotive industry is on a record setting pace for vehicle recalls following the latest announcements from General Motors and Honda.
Throughout 2013 over 22 million vehicles were recalled in the United States, with 2014’s recalls already eclipsing 11 million units. To date more than half of the recalls have been of GM vehicles, totalling six million. These car companies have also had recalls:
- Nissan: one million Sentra and Altima models
- Honda: 900,000 Odysseys
- Toyota: one million
- Volkswagon: 150,000 PAssat sedans
- Chrysler: 644,000 Dodge Durangos and Jeep Grand Cherokees
- Ford: 434,000, most of which include Ford Escapes
CBC reports that GM recently recalled over 50,000 of its luxury SUVs, notably the 2013 Cadillac SRX SUV which has been found to house a computer error in the vehicle V6 engine that can cause an acceleration delay of three to four seconds.
It’s additionally being reported that Honda will recall nearly 25,000 model 2014 Odyssey minivans to correct a problem with the vehicle’s side airbag that may inhibit its ability to deploy during a crash. Altogether Honda will be recalling 1,500 vehicles from Canada, CBC reports.
“During assembly of the electrical coupler for the passenger side curtain airbag, the shorting terminal, which is used to prevent deployment of the airbag before it is assembled into the vehicle, may have been damaged,” Honda stated in a company release. “A damaged shorting terminal may cause the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) indicator to illuminate as well as prohibit the side curtain airbag from deploying during a crash, increasing the risk of injury. No crashes or injuries have been reported related to this issue, which was discovered through warranty repairs.”
Honda says it is encouraging owners of the affected vehicles to take their vehicles to an authorized dealer as soon as a recall notice is given. These notices are expected to be delivered throughout May 2014.
This latest announcement comes as the industry battles ongoing negative perceptions stemming from the mounting number of recalls in 2014. GM informed the U.S.-based NHTSA and Transport Canada in April that it was recalling 2.2 million older model cars–367,972 in Canada–due to safety issues surrounding the ignition lock cylinders in some GM models. The faulty cylinders allow for the removal of the ignition key when the engine is running, increasing the risk of accidents.
GM has recommended that drivers of manual transmission vehicles ensure their ignitions are in the “off” position and set to reverse gear with the parking brake set before removing the ignition key. Automatic transmission drivers should ensure their vehicles are in park before removing the key. The ignition switch recall affects seven models manufactured between 2003 and 2011, including the Saturn Ion, Chevrolet Cobalt, Pontiac Pursuit, Pontiac Solstice, Pontiac G5, Saturn Sky and the Chevy HHR.
Please visit HondaNews.ca, GM.com, Ford.com, Nissan.ca, Toyota.com, VW.ca and Chrysler.ca for ongoing updates.Â
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