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Honda recalls 3,240 City cars, Toyota says no danger so far
PT Honda Prospect Motor (HPM), the sole distributor of Honda vehicles in Indonesia, announced Tuesday a recall of 3,240 units of its City model over potentially faulty power window switches that could lead to driving hazards
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T Honda Prospect Motor (HPM), the sole distributor of Honda vehicles in Indonesia, announced Tuesday a recall of 3,240 units of its City model over potentially faulty power window switches that could lead to driving hazards.
HPM said the recall in Indonesia applied to all City units sold between the start of 2007 and the end of November 2008 and not other models. The move followed a massive recall of 646,000 Honda cars in North America and the UK.
HPM said City units sold in Indonesia used a power window switch identical to the ones installed in Honda City, Fit and Jazz models distributed in North America and the UK.
Honda Motor Co., HPM’s principal partner and Japan’s second-largest carmaker, said in a statement that two fires caused by short-circuited power window switches were reported in the US. An investigation has also been launched in South Africa after a fire-related death in September.
HPM’s marketing and after sales director, Jonfis Fandi, told The Jakarta Post that Jazz units distributed in the country used a different switch, and were thus “not a priority for a recall”.
Jonfis said the recall for free fixes of Honda City units would begin on March 1 until Sept. 30 this year.
The fault in the 2007-2008 City models, Jonfis explained, could occur if the window panel was affected by a considerable amount of liquid that permeated and damaged the printed-circuit board of the power window switches.
“This special circumstance, when it happens, can create a short circuit and cause smoke,” Jonfis said.
“Such an incident has not occurred in Asia, but we are taking extra precautions in a bid to protect our customers.”
The last recall of Honda vehicles in Indonesia was in 2006 when about 30,000 Honda Jazz units had to have a fuel pump relay fixed.
Honda’s latest recall in numerous countries follows Toyota’s “Safety Campaign” announcement on Jan. 21, recalling 2.3 million cars in the US and 1.8 million cars in Europe to fix faulty accelerator pedals.
PSA Peugeot Citroen will also recall 90,000 cars made at a factory managed by Toyota. In China, Toyota will recall 75,600 vehicles.
Toyota’s stock plunged 14 percent last week, wiping out ¥1.9 trillion (US$21 billion) in market value.
Unlike Toyota, Honda won’t need to suspend sales and production of affected models, because the ones now being built and sold already have an improved power window switch design that prevents short-circuiting, Honda Motor Co. spokesman Yoshiyuki Kuroda was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.
PT Toyota Astra Motor, the sole distributor of Toyota cars in Indonesia, issued a statement Tuesday saying that all Toyota vehicles distributed in Asia and Oceania, including Indonesia, were excluded from the safety campaign.
“Our customers in Indonesia do not have to worry when operating Toyota vehicles,” marketing director Joko Trisanyoto said.
Honda shares dropped 2.5 percent to ¥2,999 at the Tokyo Stock Price Index, while Toyota Motor Corp., the world’s biggest carmaker, climbed 4.5 percent to ¥3,605, its first increase since the company announced the recall. Toyota said it will deliver repair kits this week to US dealers.
