Lawsuit Says GM Hid Ignition Defect in Recalled Cars
DETROIT
— Honda Motor Co is recalling nearly 900,000 Odyssey minivans that
could catch fire, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration said in a recall notice.
In
a March 13 filing with the NHTSA, Honda said 2005-2010 Odysseys built
in Alabama have a fuel-pump part that could crack and cause a fuel leak,
increasing the risk of fire. The company said it has no reports of
fires or injuries related to the problem.
Because the recall
involves 886,815 Odyssey vans, Honda said the proper repair parts won't
be available until summer. In the meantime, it will provide "interim"
parts to customers, who will be notified beginning in April.
Honda
said it had investigated several potential causes of cracks in the
fuel-pump strainer cover, including acid from chemicals found in car
washes and low-PH materials used in fertilizer and dust control agents.
The fuel pump modules were made in the United States by Japanese supplier Denso, according to Honda.
Honda said the recalled vans were built at its Lincoln, Alabama, plant from June 23, 2004, through September 4, 2010.
General
Motors was hit with a lawsuit Friday from customers who said their
vehicles lost value because of ignition problems that prompted a recall of 1.6 million cars.
The
proposed class action, filed in federal court in Texas, said GM knew
about the problem since 2004, but failed to fix it, creating
"unreasonably dangerous" conditions for drivers of the affected models.
"GM's mishandling of
the ignition switch defect ... has adversely affected the company's
reputation as a manufacturer of safe, reliable vehicles with high resale
value," the lawsuit said.
GM did not immediately comment on the lawsuit.
GM did not recall the cars until February, despite learning of problems with the ignition switch in 2001 and issuing related service bulletins to dealers with suggested remedies in 2005.
In
announcing the recall, GM said that when the ignition switch was
jostled, a key could turn off the car's engine and disable airbags,
sometimes while traveling at high speed. GM has said it received reports
of 12 deaths and 34 crashes in the recalled cars.
The
plaintiffs are seeking damages from GM that include compensation for
loss of the use of their vehicles and repairs and diminished resale
value.
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