Honda to recall 693,497 Jazz, Freed, City globally

Japanese auto-maker Honda on Thursday said it was recalling nearly 700,000 vehicles worldwide due to defective parts that could stall the engine and cause restarting problems in certain models.

The move comes after the car giant was forced to call back about 1.35 million vehicles in December and is the latest in a series of recalls to hit Japan’s auto industry.

Honda said yesterday that defective spring parts had been found in its Freed compact minivan, Jazz compact car and City sedan that could deteriorate over time, resulting in abnormal sounds and in the worst case lead to stalling.

Honda spokeswoman Natsuno Asanuma said the firm was recalling 693,497 vehicles globally, where it estimates the cost at 3.28 billion yen ($39 million), including 170,000 of the Freed and Fit models in Japan.

The latest action will affect over 220,000 units in Asia, mainly the Southeast Asian Asean area, and about 156,000 in China, she said. Around 97,000 units will be recalled in the United States.

No accidents associated with the defect have been reported, she added. However, there have been 72 complaints in Japan, the transport ministry said.

Two months ago Honda pulled 1.35 million Fit cars, including 621,000 overseas, to repair a headlight defect. Japan’s car giants have seen millions of recalls in the past year, but none have been more affected than Toyota, the world’s biggest automaker. Last year, Honda recalled over 10 lakh vehicles across different markets in the world to replace faulty parts, ranging from power window switch to safety airbags.