Honda is in a sticky situation as the car manufacturer has been forced to recall close to 900,000 Odyssey minivans due to a potential fire hazard that might be dangerous for drivers, according to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in a recent report.
The problem lay in the 2005-2010 Odyssey models, according to Honda, in a statement to the agency. Apparently, part of the fuel pump in these vehicles could deteriorate in a manner that could result in cracks, which then would allow gasoline to leak.
Honda notes that it is not aware of any reports of fire breaking out or injuries suffered due to this problem, but that doesn't mean an incident might not happen in the future to come.
The automaker plans to recall as much as 886,815 Odyssey minivans for repair, reports the New York Times. However, it won't take place anytime soon as Honda auto dealers won't have repair parts on hand until in the summer. In the meantime, the company plans to offer interim parts to affected customers, who will be notified some time around April or earlier.
While Honda has investigated several problems that could cause the issue to take place, the automaker has yet to come to a conclusion. This will definitely change in the coming months as the company further examines the recalled vehicles.
This isn't the first time Honda had to recall its vehicles. Back in November of 2013, the automaker was forced to recall 344,000 Odyssey minivans that were manufactured between 2007 to 2008 due to an unexpected braking problem. Before that, the company recalled 318,000 Odyssey minivans manufactured between 2003 to 2004 due to a problem where the airbags might deploy even if the vehicle did not meet in an accident.
It is clear that Honda has a problem in reliability since it has to recall over a million cars in less than two years. This is a serious problem for the automaker, and it needs to rectify the issue as soon as possible if it wants to keep a competitive edge in a hostile auto market.
