Honda Recalls 80,000 Vehicles Due to Fire, Transmission Hazards

Honda is recalling more than 80,000 2006 CR-V crossover sport utility vehicles because of a potential fire hazard in the vehicle’s power windows, The New York Times reports.

The newspaper also says the Japanese automaker is recalling 5,600 CR-Z hybrid vehicles from 2011 because manual transmission models have a flaw in the software that can cause a vehicle to unexpectedly move backward or forward.

Obviously, it is concerning that a vehicle maker would create a vehicle that not only could catch fire, but also move suddenly without the driver’s intent. But it’s far from uncommon. The Product Liability Attorneys Blog recently reported that Ford recalled more than 1 million trucks because corrosion problems can cause the fuel tanks to catch fire.

Hiring an experienced Florida Automobile Defect Attorney can be prudent if your vehicle caused you to get into an accident unexpectedly and through no fault of your own. Vehicle defects in Washington D.C., New York, Florida or nationwide can be alarming because vehicles are so expensive and we rely on them for safe travels.

When these heavy and dangerous vehicles break down or have major flaws because of manufacturing defects, many people can be affected. People have died or been seriously injured and even criminally charged because of their vehicle’s faulty makeup. Yet, it sometimes takes years for a company to notify the public and come clean about their problems.

In Honda’s case, the company says the Honda Fit was already recalled because of a power window master switch problem that caused fires. The Fit, along with the two recently recalled vehicles, were part of a 962,000-vehicle recall worldwide. The 2007-2008 Fit models were recalled for a similar problem — a defect that allowed water to reach the master switch, which could cause short-circuiting and fires.

After the Fit recall, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigated the same issue in the CR-V and CR-Z models, leading to the most recent recall. Honda doesn’t know of anyone who has been injured or died as a result of the CR-V issues. One person died in South Africa because of the Fit problem.

Only recently, the company recalled 1.5 million Honda Accords from 2005 to 2010 because of transmission problems.

It’s pretty scary to think that someone could be killed in a vehicle because it was created poorly or rushed in order to maximize profits. Vehicles are complex and can be killing machines if not created and used properly.

Consumers pay tens of thousands of dollars for these machines and expect them to work properly, no matter what. It is simply unacceptable to spend that kind of money and not get a quality product out of it.

And if these manufacturing defects cause the vehicles to have problems, it can open the automakers up to liability under the law. When a defect causes a serious or fatal accident, the company can and should be held responsible.

More Blog Entries:

Ford Recalls More Than 1 Million Trucks Over Fire Danger: August 2, 2011
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