Honda recalls almost 1 million Fit models for window switch failures

Honda has announced a global recall of 960,000 Fit models found predominantly in Japan, China and other Asian countries over a concern that the power window master switch could malfunction and catch fire over time.

The new Honda Fit recall affects 960,000 cars built from October 2005 to October 2009 with most of those vehicles being found in Japan while the rest are in China and other Asian markets. In these vehicles, there is a power window master switch located in the driver’s door that could malfunction and when it does, it could melt to the point of causing smoke – and in the worst conditions the switch panel could catch fire. Even though no accidents or injuries stemming from this problem have been reported, the Japanese automaker is being proactive in getting over 1,000,000 vehicles around the world because to dealerships for repairs.

This gigantic Honda Fit recall does not apply to American models but it should be noted that in early 2010, American Honda recalled 2007-2008 Fit models in the US over a concern that the power window master switch could fail and catch fire. The interesting point is that while the US Honda Fits recalled in 2010 were called back because of water leaks around the driver’s window base and when water got into the driver’s door and reached the power window master switch, it could cause the switch to melt and catch fire. However, the 960,000 Honda Fit units being recalled in Japan, China and the other Asian countries are citing a similar concern over a melting and burning power window master switch, the cause of the malfunction is cited as being interior cleaners causing the electrical connectors for the master switch to “degrade”.

While this new Honda Fit recall does not apply to American Fit units, it does go hand in hand with the previously announced Honda CR-V recall for a similar issue. The blame for the CR-V recall is also stated as being the result of interior cleaning products, even though a similar problem in the American Honda Fit was supposedly the result of water coming from the outside of the vehicle. Overall, when you include the massive number of Fits being recalled around the world with the 80,000+ CR-V units from the 2006 model year, over 1 million vehicles are affected by this power window master switch issue. Click here for a closer look at the CR-V portion of this recall.

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Source: Automotive News