Honda recalls over a half million cars for headlight failure

American Honda has announced a recall of select 2002, 2003 and 2004 Honda CR-V and 2003 Honda Pilot sport utility vehicles over a concern that the headlight low beams could suddenly stop working due to a possible electric issue within the headlight switch.

This new Honda recall affects roughly 554,000 vehicles between the 2002-2004 CR-V and the 2002 Pilot. In these half million sport utility vehicles, the Japanese automaker believes that there could be a problem with the wiring going to the headlight switch that could cause the headlight low beams to suddenly stop working or to not work at all when turned on. Obviously, having your headlights stop working when cruising along a dark road at night could present a serious safety risk to the occupants of the CR-V or Pilot in question as well as anyone else in vehicles or on foot around them so Honda has prepared to make the call and get these 554,000 vehicles back into dealerships for repairs.

Luckily, Honda also reports that there have been no reports of accidents or injuries stemming from this problem but with more pressure than ever for automakers doing business in the US to make their cars as safe as possible – this is a smart move by Honda.

The recall notice doesn’t mention whether or not the high beams will still work when the low beams go out but considering the fact that the recall notice makes no mention of the whole headlight system – instead focusing on the low beam – so perhaps the high beam system will still work when the low beams fail. I have had experience with a variety of vehicles that lost their low beams yet still had functioning high beams but those were not Honda vehicles. In any case, those who own these vehicles should not take this recall lightly when it begins later next month.

American Honda expects that this recall will begin sometime in late April 2012, at which point owners will be instructed to contact their local Honda dealership to make an appointment to have the recall repairs performed. Honda is urging owners to act quickly once they have been notified that their vehicle is included in the recall to prevent any increased risk of accidents or injuries. Owners of the 2002-2004 Honda CR-V or the 2002 Honda Pilot who are want more information about the new headlight recall issue can visit www.recalls.honda.com or they can call 1-800-999-1009; selecting option 4 when prompted on the phone.