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Honda Will Recall 2.5 Million Cars Worldwide To Fix Transmission Software

WASHINGTON — Honda said it will recall nearly 2.5 million cars worldwide — including 1.5 million in the U.S. and more than 760,000 in China — to address an issue that could cause the engine to stall.

In the U.S., the recall involves the 2005-'10 Accord , 2007-'10 CR-V and 2005-'08 Element equipped with four-cylinder engine and automatic transmission.

In its summary of the recall, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said: "The outer race of the secondary shaft bearing (in the transmission) may be broken during certain driving styles. A broken outer race may cause abnormal noise, the malfunction indicator light to turn on, and allow contact between the transmission idle gear and an electronic sensor housing within the transmission."

NHTSA added, "This could result in a short circuit causing the engine to stall. Additionally, broken pieces of the outer race or ball bearing from the secondary shaft may become lodged in the parking pawl, resulting in the vehicle rolling after the driver has placed the gear in the park position."

In a statement, Honda provided a more specific explanation of the problem, saying the transmission shaft bearing "can be damaged if the transmission is quickly shifted between each of the reverse, neutral and drive positions, as may be done in an attempt to dislodge a vehicle stuck in mud or snow. If the bearing is damaged in this unusual scenario, it can cause the engine to stall or lead to difficulty engaging the parking gear."

The free fix is an update to the transmission software, which Honda said "will ease the transition between gears to reduce the possibility of damage."

NHTSA said the U.S. recall affects 1,512,107 Honda cars in the U.S. In China, the recall covers the Accord, the Odyssey and the Spirior, the Chinese-built version of the Acura TSX and European Accord.

Honda plans new Mexican car plant | www.bullfax.com

Japanese automaker Honda announced plans Friday to build a new plant in Mexico that will employ 3,200 people and build fuel-efficient subcompact vehicles for the Mexican, US and Canadian markets.Honda will invest $800 million to build the plant, which is expected to begin operations in 2014 and will have the capacity to build 200,000 vehicles per year.

Japan's Honda Motor plans to build its fifth car plant in China to cope with mounting competition in the fast-growing auto market, according to a press report released on Saturday.The new plant, with an annual capacity of 120,000 units, will boost Honda's production in China by 20 percent to 730,000 units a year, the business daily Nikkei said.It will be built next to the existing factory of Honda's Chinese joint venture Dongfeng Honda Automobile in the central city of Wuhan and is due to be operational by 2011, the report said.

Volkswagen unveiled plans Wednesday invest 550 million dollars in a new plant in Mexico to help the German auto giant strengthen its position in the North American market.The announcement came jointly with President Felipe Calderon, who said the plant would be a "next generation" engine facility in the central state of Guanajuato, to supply the assembly plant in Puebla and a US facility in Tennessee.

Operations at a Honda parts factory in southern China returned to normal Tuesday after nearly a week of disruption over a pay dispute, the company said, vowing to continue talks with dissatisfied workers.The Honda Lock factory in the southern province of Guangdong was one of a string of factories in China -- and the third in the Honda family -- hit by a wave of industrial unrest in the so-called "workshop of the world".Limited work resumed at the plant on Monday, but some employees had refused to return to their posts, demanding improved pay.

Operations at a Honda parts factory in southern China were expected to return to normal Monday after nearly a week of disruption over a pay dispute, company and local officials said.The Honda Lock factory in the southern province of Guangdong is one of a string of factories in China -- and the third in the Honda family -- hit by a wave of industrial unrest in the so-called "workshop of the world".

Japan's Honda Motor said two vehicle assembly plants in China remained closed Thursday due to a new labour dispute in southern China, but an earlier strike at an exhaust parts maker had ended.Production at two plants in southern Guangdong province run by Honda's Chinese joint venture Guangqi Honda Automobile would be closed for a second day, a Tokyo-based Honda spokeswoman told AFP.The plants were closed Thursday due to a new dispute involving workers at a factory that produces locks for the company's cars, she said.

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