The Honda Accord is one of the vehicles involved in a large recall caused by a transmission problem.
Nearly 2 million vehicles will be impacted by a pair of recalls involving Honda and Chrysler.
The newest recall involves a potentially faulty transmission used on a variety of Honda vehicles built between the 2005 and 2010 model-years. In all, about 1.5 million Hondas sold in the U.S. will be impacted, while 367,000 Chrysler products are covered by a safety recall involving defective airbag systems.
The Honda and Chrysler actions are just the latest in a series of large recalls this year that raise the possibility the auto industry will near or even exceed the total number of “service actions” last year which, at more than 20 million, was the largest total since 2004.
The Honda recall involves the 2005-2010 4-cylinder Accord, the 2007-2010 CR-V and the 2005-2008 Element. The maker says a software glitch can lead to damage if the automatic transmissions used in those vehicles “is quickly shifted between each of the reverse, neutral and drive positions, as may be done to dislodge a vehicle stuck in mud or snow.”
Under such circumstances, a secondary shaft bearing could be damaged, causing the vehicles to stall or making it difficult to shift to park.
Chrysler, meanwhile, says it needs to make repairs to 367,000 Dodge and Chrysler minivans – again. The people movers were involved in an earlier recall when it was discovered that water from their air conditioners could leak could leak onto the airbag circuit control module potentially causing them to inflate. Under the first recall the maker replaced an air conditioning part to prevent the leak.
But Chrysler has discovered that some airbag controllers were already damaged by the leaks – even if the airbags didn’t go off – so the maker is recalling the minivans again to inspect for damage, replacing the circuit boards if necessary.
Both makers say they will issue advisories to owners affected by the recalls in the coming weeks. Repairs will be made at no charge.