Honda recalls vehicles to fix defect

CHICAGO - Agence France-Presse

Honda will recall more than 871,000 vehicles worldwide to fix a defect that could allow them to roll away when a driver thinks it’s been parked, the Japanese automaker said Dec. 12.

The bulk of the U.S. and Canadian-made vehicles, some 807,000 units in the United States and 52,000 in Canada will be called back. Honda said it was aware of two incidents in which people received “minor injuries” as a result of the defect.

After an investigation of several complaints, it determined that the ignition interlock mechanism can be damaged or worn to the point where it’s possible to remove the key when the transmission hasn’t been shifted to park. “If the transmission is not in park and the parking brake is not set, the vehicle could roll away, and a crash could occur,” Honda said in a statement.

The recall affects 347,244 Honda Odyssey and 276,850 Honda Pilot vehicles from the 2003-2004 model years and roughly 247,179 Acura MDX vehicles from the 2003-2006 model years. Honda will mail notices to owners in February and will conduct all repairs free of charge.