DETROIT (AP)
-- Honda is recalling 600,000 Accord midsize cars in the U.S. and Canada
to fix a faulty power steering hose that can leak fluid and cause a
fire.
The recall affects Accords with V-6
engines from the 2003 through 2007 model years. Honda has a report of
one fire but no injuries or crashes.
The
five-passenger Accord is consistently among the top-selling vehicles in
the United States, mainly because of its reputation for reliability and
fuel economy. For years it has been the nation's second-best-selling
car, beaten only by the Toyota Camry.
The
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the government agency
that monitors vehicle safety, said in a posting on its website during
the weekend that the Accord's power steering hose can deteriorate with
prolonged exposure to engine heat. The hoses can crack and leak,
possibly causing a fire or loss of power-assisted steering, the
documents said.
Honda will replace the hoses
for free, but it won't have the parts available until early next year.
Any owner who suspects a leak should take their car to a dealer for
inspection, Honda spokesman Ed Miller said Monday.
The
company that makes the Accord's power-steering hoses had to ramp up
manufacturing to make them since the affected cars are more than five
model years old and the hoses were out of production, Miller said.
"We're going to start making them and getting them out there as soon as we can," he said.
The
Accords are being added to a May recall of 53,000 Acura TL midsize
luxury cars in the U.S. from the 2007 and 2008 model years. Acura is
Honda's luxury brand.
The replacement hoses for the Accords are different from the hoses in the original Acura recall, Honda said.
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
