Honda and Toyota, hit with recall notifications  as the July 4th Holiday Car shopping sales events gear up.

2012 Honda Civic Recalled:

Faulty drive-shafts on 50,190 vehicles, a small percentage of the total number built and sold, are affected by this voluntary recall announced by Honda this week. However, the recall is certainly a hit to the veneer of perfection most Honda loyalists consider the backbone of the products value. Documentation from Honda (PDF) indicates that approximately up to 8.4 percent of the vehicles in the recall may contain the condition.   The problem according to the NHTSA bulletin says the process required to seat the driver’s side drive-shaft and set the retaining clip was not completed on certain 2012 Civics, resulting in the drive-shaft possibly separating. If the drive-shaft separates the driver loses control, can not shift in or out of gear, and if the vehicle is parked, the car could roll away, if not secured by the emergency parking brake.  This situation increases the risk of vehicle crash and injury. Honda says no crashes or injuries have been reported to date.  Honda will notify owners of affected 2012 Honda Civic coupes and sedans to take their vehicles to an authorized Honda dealer to have the driver’s side driveshaft inspected and replaced, if necessary, at no charge. The Honda safety recall campaign is expected to begin on or about June 21, 2012. Owners of 2012 Honda Civic coupes and sedans may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009 cncerning their vehicles. Reference the Honda safety recall campaign No. S40. In late June, owners of these vehicles will be able to go online to www.recalls.honda.com to determine if their vehicles require repair.   Owners of vehicles involved in the campaign may also contact the NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or go to http://www.safercar.gov.  Reference the NHTSA campaign ID No. 12V256000.

NHTSA-Toyota Announce Investigation into DOOR fires.

The count of vehicles involved is up to 1.4 million as the concern is in the power window master switch commonly found in the 2007-2009 Camry, RAV4, Highlander, both Hybrid versions of the Camry and Highlander and Yaris. The Toyota’s which share a 2006-2007 General Motors SUV platform which experienced door fires of their own, leading to more interest in the relationship and size of the problem. All total 161 fires have been reported in the Toyota products with 9 people suffering injuries. This has not resulted in a full-on recall by NHTSA or a voluntary recall by Toyota, much to my surprise. However, given the NHTSA reaction to the Toyota accelerating, floor mat, brake issue of 2 years ago, a little restraint is probably required before destroying the company’s holiday summer selling season. Unfortunately, the manufacturer of the master power window switch probably has more than just Toyota and GM in common, so investigations into all car companies using this product supplier are probably in process, as we are just hearing about these 1.4 million suspect vehicles. Visit your Toyota dealership for more information. ———————————————– Sarah Lee is an automotive writer, personal car concierge and commercial fleet manager. If you need free advice on your car problem, question, issue, contact her at sarahlee@mycarlady.com,mvides422@gmail.com,carlady@cox.net for a confidential conversation. She has over 22+ years of experience. She writes about Cars, and is a staunch consumer advocate on car related subjects. MyCarlady offers private, auto-related services to help you maintain your personal or commercial vehicles. Call Sarah Lee for more information: 702-521-7546 ]]>