We begin our Monday news day with the headline above, and wish to extend some peace of mind to our North America Honda Fit driving friends. Your vehicle is not included in the latest recall initiative.
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Honda Motor Company of Japan issued a recall Monday morning for the 2015/2016 Honda Fit and the Fit based Vezel (HR-V in the U.S.) crossover. According to Daily Herald and other news outlets, this recall, the 6th in 3 years, will impact 160,000 vehicles or so.
Depending on who you're reading Monday, the total climbs to 283,000 -- but none in Canada and the U.S., yet.
Systems fires, steering failure, not in North America
The majority of 3rd generation Honda Fits plying the roads of North America were manufactured in Mexico alongside the HR-V crossover. For model year 2016, Honda Fit production returns to Japan. This is where the news of the day gets just a little bit fuzzy for me.
Perhaps the latest recall is specific to the recall plagued Fit Hybrid, a vehicle not imported to North America. Or, the indicated defective control system and steering component is manufactured in Asia exclusively for the Japan market -- Honda’s not clear on this, nor do we know the number of Fit and Vezel crossovers directly involved in the reported non injury accidents.
As reported by the Columbus Dispatch
According to Columbus Dispatch: The company will recall more than 283,000 Fit cars and Vezel crossovers after reports of six fires related to a control systems flaw and two collisions linked to a power steering defect, said Yuichi Yamamoto, a Japan transport ministry official. None of the incidents resulted in death or injury, he said.
*Masatsugu Horie for Bloomberg News writes: Persistent recalls of the Fit and Vezel that first began in October 2013 were among quality woes that led the company’s former president, Takanobu Ito, to abandon a global sales target before resigning the position.
His successor, Takahiro Hachigo, has reshuffled top management and consolidated responsibility for product planning and evaluation, ceding more control back to the company’s overwhelmed research-and-development division, writes Mr. Horie.
Honda tried to introduce models optimized for disparate regions at a pace and scale that was beyond its means, Hachigo, 56, said in February. The company announced sweeping management changes, including the resignations of Chairman Fumihiko Ike and the CEO’s second-in-command Tetsuo Iwamura, says Honda Motor Company. HR-V continues to sell well in North America.
For model year 2015/2016 there are 4 minor component recalls listed for Honda Fit. None of them have related in injury or death. The short list can be found here on Honda’s recall information site. You may enter the model year of any Honda vehicle for an initial recall check. For specific concerns enter your vehicle's VIN # in the live link provided. Good luck.
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