By KEN THOMAS Associated Press Writer
August 03,2005 | WASHINGTON -- The Honda Motor Co. will recall thousands of its Odyssey minivans amid concerns that potentially faulty sensors for the frontal air bag system could make a warning lamp on the instrument panel remain illuminated, the company said Wednesday.
Honda said the recall involved 85,154 Odyssey minivans from the 2005 model year. The company said the two sensors near the front bumper may be susceptible to corrosion from road salt, leading the warning light to turn on.
The warning light indicates a malfunction and instructs the driver to have the vehicle repaired. The company said in a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that some of the sensors were insufficiently sealed during manufacturing.
Sara Pines, a Honda spokeswoman, said there have been no reports of the frontal air bags improperly deploying or failing to deploy and there have been no injuries associated with the sensors.
"Anything that's related to safety is important to us. We feel that the best thing to do is simply to have this voluntary recall," Pines said.
The potential defect was noticed based on warranty claims and owners coming into dealerships after their malfunction indicator light turned on.
Owners will be notified beginning in late August and dealers will replace the sensors at no additional cost to the consumers.
The Odyssey has been a popular minivan. Through July, the automaker had sold more than 105,000 in the United States, 15 percent more than in 2004, according to research firm Autodata Corp.
In July, Honda sold more than 17,000 of the minivans, making it the fourth-highest selling minivan behind the Dodge Caravan, Chrysler Town & Country and Toyota Sienna, Autodata Corp. reported.
*****************************
On the Net:
Honda Motor Co.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Honda Motor Co. will recall thousands of its Odyssey minivans - Airbag Sensors
Linear Mode
