Honda is recalling 383,000 of its most popular cars, all older models of the Accord, Civic and Element because of problems with the ignition mechanism that could result in cars rolling away.
The recall includes 197,000 Accord and 117,000 Civic sedans from the 2003 model year and about 69,000 Element vehicles from the 2003 and 2004 model years.
The manufacturer announced in a statement that if the ignition interlock mechanism becomes worn out or damaged, the ignition key could be removed while the vehicle is not in park, allowing the car to roll away and possibly crash.
Honda has received several complaints and cited a “small number” of accidents have occurred as a result, including one involving a minor injury.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and reported on CNNMoney.com, Honda reported received 16 complaints alleging failure of the ignition interlock mechanism on the recently recalled vehicles.
The agency said 11 of those complaints involved a rollaway crash, including one in which the owner claimed that she was nearly run over by her car when she tried to stop it from rolling.
Article Last Updated: August 9, 2010.
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A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.
