Honda says its new method will eliminate spot welding in auto door construction. Image: BlackZero_007/Flickr/CC BY

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. says it has a developed a new method of welding aluminum and steel together, opening the door for far-lighter automotive construction.

Honda makes lighter doors for Acura RLX

The Japanese car maker announced Tuesday, Feb. 19, that it has found a way to meld aluminum and steel without facing electrical corrosion issues, which has been an elusive alchemical philosopher’s stone for automotive engineers.

Combining steel with aluminum will allow automakers to keep the steel structural strength needed for safety in a vehicle’s door panels. At the same time, by using an aluminum outer panel to lower the weight of the vehicle, fuel economy can be increased.

The automaker says that vehicle door panels constructed using its new method will see about a 17 percent reduction in weight from current methods. That reduction at the outer side of the vehicle will also improve stability by focusing the point of gravity closer to the vehicle’s center.

American car buyers can take advantage of the new process as early as March, when the new Acura RLX will hit dealerships like Howdy Honda in Austin, TX. The technology will be used for other Honda and Acura models as time progresses, and the growth of microfinance through such companies as Personal Money Network enables more people to buy cars.

Three hurdles

Honda’s engineers had to tackle three large hurdles in the development of the new process. First, it needed to find a way to join metals with dissimilar properties. For that, it developed the “3D Lock Seam,” which bolsters seams with double-hemming steel. Second, it needed to address the electrical corrosion that has plagued earlier attempts to mesh the two metals. To that effort, it has come up with an anti-corrosive steel, as well as a “new form that assures the complete filling of the gap with adhesive agent.” Lastly, Honda needed to find a way to prevent thermal deformation. That was countered with an “adhesive agent with low elastic modulus and optimized position of the 3D Lock Seam.”

Honda says the new process eliminates spot welding and, since it requires no dedicated process, can be adapted easily to current manufacturing methods.

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An earlier process

The announcement is similar to one Honda made in September 2012, when it announced its “Friction Stir Welding” process to meld steel and aluminum in the construction of a vehicle’s front sub-frame. That process was first seen in the 2013 Accord.

At the time, Honda said the then-new technology, “generates a new and stable metallic bonding between steel and aluminum by moving a rotating tool on the top of the aluminum which is lapped over the steel with high pressure.”

Automakers are in a race to find ways to increase fuel efficiency before 2025, when federal mandates kick in, requiring all new cars to achieve 54.5 miles per gallon. Efforts to reduce the weight of vehicles is part of that move.

Sources

MarketWatch
Motor Authority
Torque News

Gizmag: http://www.gizmag.com/honda-steel-aluminum-welding/24096/

Mazda is one of several automakers planning to build cars in Mexico. Image: Mister Hambo/Flickr/Cc BY

The U.S. Southeast auto industry has lost its standing as the region with the fastest-growing auto industry on the North American continent. Mexico has stepped up as the region’s main competitor for North American automotive jobs.

Southeast auto industry losing to Mexico

The southern-most nation on the North American continent has seen the infusion of $11 billion into its economy from automakers since 2010. The auto industry in the U.S. Southeast received just $7.5 billion over the same time span.

Rob Simon, LMC Automotive’s vice president for business development, spoke at the second annual South Carolina Automotive Summit in Greenville, S.C. He estimated that vehicle production in Mexico will grow by more than 20 percent — to 3.5 million vehicles — in the next two years. That means it will control one fifth of all North American vehicle production.

Another speaker at the event, Original Equipment Suppliers Association vice president Glenn Stevens, pointed out that the governors of four Mexican states were spotted at January’s Auto Show in Detroit. Still, he said, Mexico has serious security issues that will likely not improve any time soon.

Cheaper labor, fewer trade agreements

Jay Baron, president of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich., also spoke at the summit. He said that Mexico offers automakers the advantage of greatly-reduced labor costs — lowering  them by as much a tenth. That is a very strong appeal for automakers. The country also has fewer trade agreements to contend with. However, Baron noted, the Southeast has a greater supply chain, which he suggested bolstering in an effort to make the region more competitive.

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Automakers with eyes on Mexico

According to Simon, Audi, Daimler, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Toyota all have plans to build cars in Mexico. There have also been many published rumors that BMW has plans to construct a new manufacturing plant in the southern nation, although the German automaker has not confirmed those rumors.

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Transmission factory dedication

In spite of losing jobs to Mexico, the Southwest auto industry continues to expand. ZF Group is scheduled to dedicate a transmission plant in South Carolina. ZF Group says it has already hired 450 workers and will add another 1,100 in 2013.

Sources

Greeneville Online
NOOGA
USA Today

The Nissan Leaf retains 20 percent of its original value when sold after five years, says KBB. Image: mariordo/Flickr/CC BY SA

The rising popularity of electric cars has caused speculation about how much resale value they will retain, when compared with those fitted with gas-powered drive trains. According to two authorities, they will not fare as well, but they won’t lag significantly, either.

Depreciation of electric cars uncertain

Electric cars cost more than comparable gas-powered models. Yet their relatively short time on the modern market has left questions about how they will depreciate. Questions linger about the reliability and lifespan of pricy battery packs over time, and other factors that reduce the value of the cars after they are driven off of a new car lot.

So what can you realistically expect to get for your five-year-old EV at, say, Gus Johnson Used Cars, Spokane, five years after buying it new?

Two price-trackers seek answers

Two used car tracking sites have put their spotlights on finding out just how well an all-electric vehicle holds up on the resale market, when compared to their gas-guzzling cousins. Their findings were not far apart.

Kelley Blue Book

Kelley Blue Book says that Nissan’s all-electric 2012 Leaf will lose about 80 percent of its value if resold after five years. That compares to the 70 percent loss of a comparable gas car, the 2012 Nissan Sentra compact.

The numbers are even better for the 2013 extended-range Chevy Volt. It will sell for 30 percent of its original value after five years, says KBB. The similar 2013 Chevy Cruze, on the other hand, will fetch about 38 percent of its original value.

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AGL

Used car tracker ALG, on the other hand, is even more generous. It says the 2013 will retain 21 percent of its value after five years, and the Volt will keep 31 percent.

ALG says that a typical car should retain about 36.6 percent of its resale value in five years time.

Margin changes after incentives

But the margin changes after factoring in federal tax incentives. Those reductions can shave as much as $7,500 off of the price of a new electric vehicle. That makes it appear to be worth less when it goes to be resold, when viewed as a percentage of its original value.

“If you only look at residual percentages, it’s on the low side,” said KBB’s director of residual value consulting, Eric Ibara. “But if you look at dollars [spent], it’s not.”

The Volt and the Leaf both scored high marks in this year’s Consumer Reports Owners Satisfaction Survey, with the Volt crowning the list for its second year in the row. That popularity may also boost the resale value of the two EV models.

Sources

Autoblog
Detroit Free Press
USA Today

The first production Ford: the 1903 Model A. Image: LaertesCTB/Flickr/CC BY

Bill Ford, the great-grandson of Henry Ford and executive chairman of the Ford Motor Company today, has bought back one of the first cars to ever roll off the assembly line. The 1903 Model A — the first mass-produced Ford — was purchased to be a part of the celebration of Henry Ford’s 150th birthday next July.

Ford Model A appreciated in 109 years

The RM auction actually took place in Hershey, Penn. in October. The winning bidder, however, was only recently announced. A William Clay Ford, Jr. — commonly known simply as Bill — won the car with a bid of $264,000. That is considerably more than its original “sticker” price of $850.

The original owner of the car was a Britt, Iowa creamery worker named Herbert L. McNary. His family owned the car until the early 1950s. Since that time, it has had only five other owners, including Bill Ford, Jr.

Henry Ford’s sesquicentennial birthday

The car has been delivered to Ford headquarters in Dearborn, Mich. It will be integral to the year-long celebration of Henry Ford’s sesquicentennial.

“The timing was perfect to bring this key part of Ford heritage back to the family as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of my great-grandfather’s birth and his vision to improve people’s lives by making cars affordable for the average family,” Bill Ford, Jr. told employees this week. “His vision to build cars that are reasonably priced, reliable and efficient still resonates and defines our vision today as well.”

The celebration of the patriarchal Ford’s birth will continue throughout 2013 as the MotorCities National Heritage Area and the Henry Ford Heritage Association collaborate on a variety of car shows, tours and other events. The celebration will culminate on July 30, 2013 — exactly 150 years after Henry Ford’s birth on July 30, 1863.

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The original bailout

Ford — the one major U.S. automaker that did not accept a federal bailout — owes its survival today to what could be considered the original automaker bailout.

In 1903, Ford found his company with only $250 to its name. The automaker would have died then and there, but three orders came in for Model A cars. Those orders came with deposits of $1,320, which got the assembly line rolling. The last of those three cars to come off the assembly line is believed to be the very same one Henry’s great-grandson recently pruchased.

To this day, Ford continues to make reliable, competitively-priced cars that are marketed at major dealerships like Gus Johnson Ford, in Spokane, Wash.

Sources

Torque News
Detroit News                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Motor Authority

Speeding to wedding proceedings is not a good idea for a groom, as it could land you in jail. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

Few things will make a bride rage uncontrollably like a groom that’s late for the wedding, but worse than that is a groom that’s stuck in jail. An Indiana man found that out the hard way, as speeding to wedding proceedings at speeds near 100 miles per hour landed him in the slammer.

Don’t get arrested for speeding to wedding, especially yours

A top tip for any young men who plan on tying the knot one day – stay near the venue. That diminishes the chances you’ll be late, get lost, stuck in traffic or whatever. Worse still, if it is your fault, the bride , wedding party and guests will not be amused with you. Your permanent address will be the dog house.

Timothy N. Thompson of Valpariso, Indiana, according to CBS Cleveland, is finding that out the hard way, as speeding to wedding proceedings landed him in jail.

What an idiot

Thompson was noticing by police on Saturday, Dec. 8, in Porter County, Indiana. He was believed to be traveling at upward of 100 miles per hour down the center line en route to the church. According to the Northwest Indiana Times, he nearly wrecked several times, wove through traffic, drove erratically and nearly tipped his Jeep turning into the church with about 30 minutes to spare before the ceremony at 7 p.m.

He performed a “donut” in the parking lot and was then stopped by police who had entered the parking lot. After they took his information, he started the car and began to pull forward. The officers stopped him again. He claimed he thought officers were done and said he was due at a party in Chicago and would have to drive fast to get there. He then informed them he had already been released from jail that day.

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He was arrested, as wedding guests heckled him for his stupidity. He was charged with resisting law enforcement, criminal recklessness, reckless driving, improper passing and speeding. He missed the wedding.

Selections from the peanut gallery

Thompson isn’t the only groom that got into trouble for speeding to wedding festivities. According to the Daily Mail, English bride Abi Patterson Hart paid 8,000 pounds (about $13,000) to rent a Lamborghini Murcielago convertible for her fiance, David Gallucci, as a wedding present in Nov., 2009. Gallucci and his best man started driving to the wedding but Gallucci got too happy with the “go” pedal. Taking a corner at speed, the car understeered, spun and went into a ditch. He made the wedding but the Lambo was totaled.

The rental included insurance, so Gallucci and Hart didn’t need a car payment calculator to figure payments on a car costing 260,000 pounds.

In February of this year, one Caleb Rogers, of Albequerque, N.M., was on the way to his wedding and stopped for gas, according to KOAT, an Albequerque ABC affiliate. Police stopped him at the pump to arrest him on an outstanding parole violation. To save the nuptials, police brought the bride and a magistrate and married them at the pumps before hauling Rogers to jail.

Sometimes, it ends tragically. For instance, one Gregory Landrum, of Burlington, Ky., was speeding on his motorcycle to his mother’s house on Aug. 28, 2010, to get ready for his wedding later that day, after picking up his tuxedo, according to LEX18, a Lexington ABC affiliate. Landrum slammed into a Jeep and died of his injuries.

Sources

CBS Cleveland

NWITimes

Daily Mail

KOAT: http://www.koat.com/Police-Oversee-Gas-Station-Wedding-Before-Arresting-Groom/-/9154444/9707378/-/jx3jg2z/-/index.html

LEX18: http://www.lex18.com/news/groom-dies-on-wedding-day

Chinese automakers will have to be more attentive to safety under new recall regulations. Image: Hugo90/Flickr/CC BY

China is cracking down on its auto manufacturers by imposing much stiffer penalties on those that do not issue recall campaigns in a timely manner when a bug is detected in any given model. Chinese auto recalls, expert say, will spur the creation of better and safer vehicles from the Asian country.

New Chinese auto recalls regulation approved

Last week the new Beijing State Council gave its approval to a new regulatory amendment. The Administrative Regulations on Defective Automotive Product Recalls, as it is called, goes into effect on the first day of next year. Under the new law, according to Automotive News China, any car maker that does not issue a recall report for a known manufacturing defect will be levied a fine of 50,000 yuan — or the equivalent of just under $80,000 — and 200,000 yuan — or about $160,000.

In a addition, the Chinese government will have the option of levying another fine for more severe violators. That fine will amount to between one- and ten-percent of the total sales value of all of the recalled vehicles. Those car makers could also be stripped of their manufacturing licenses if the violation is deemed sufficiently egregious. Such violations might include knowingly concealing a defect or refusing to stop selling vehicles that have known defects.

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New rules are significantly stricter

Those fines may seems small when compared to what automakers are fined in the West for similar violations. However, it is a significant move on the part of the Chinese government. Analysts says it shows a genuine concern for the safety of the Chinese motoring public, as well as for the quality of vehicles coming out of the largest Asian nation in years to come.

Previous recall reform efforts in China

The last reform of recall regulations in China occurred in 2004. At that time, it was mandated that auto manufacturers failing to initiate recall efforts would be fined between 10,000 yuan and 30,000 yuan. That is about the equivalent of $1,600 to $4,800.

According to the Beijing General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, 6.2 million vehicles have been recalled in 419 separate recall efforts in China between Jan. 1, 2004 and Dec. 31, 2011.

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Regulation breeds better cars

Experts in the Chinese automotive industry say that the new regulations will raise the quality and the safety of the cars produced in China.

Sources

China Daily
Sina English
Autoblog

A thief allegedly caught in the act of illegally siphoning gas with a homemade electric pump set himself and his truck on fire. Photo Credit: BradleyOlin/Flickr.com/CC-BY

Illegally siphoning gas is dangerous on top of being a crime, but sometimes there is such a thing as instant karma. Herbert C. Ridge, an Arizonan gas thief, tried illegally siphoning gas with a homemade electric pump, but a short circuit set him and his truck on fire, which exploded.

Instant karma is going to get you for illegally siphoning gas

John Lennon once sang “instant karma is gonna get you.” He may or may not have had someone specific in mind, but the idea certainly applies to one Herbert C. Ridge, of Mesa, Ariz., who set himself and his truck on fire while allegedly illegally siphoning gas, according to AutoBlog.

Ridge was using a homemade device with a battery, which powered a pump to allegedly extract gas from someone’s gas tank. He was said to be siphoning gas from cars in a residential neighborhood in Mesa, when his device short circuited, setting him on fire.

Blew up his truck too

The home nearby to where Ridge caught fire, according to ABC, had recently been upgraded with security cameras. After hearing a noise, Mitch Drum, the home’s owner, ran outside to see what the matter was. Footage from Drum’s surveillance cameras showed Ridge had tried to extinguish the flames by rolling on the ground, got in his truck to leave, set his truck on fire, and then leapt from the vehicle.

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The truck, on fire, crashed into a nearby garage and exploded, according to AutoBlog. Drum, according to ABC, called emergency services. Ridge ran two miles from the scene before being arrested, according to the Phoenix New Times. He was taken to the Maricopa County Burn Unit and will face charges. It certainly illustrates the danger in illegally siphoning gas, at least for the stupid.

Long Island firefighter caught doing likewise

Ridge isn’t the only knucklehead to cause a fire while illegally siphoning gas. According to CBS, Steven Pena, a firefighter from Freeport, N.Y., part of Long Island, was recently caught after rigging an electric vacuum, ostensibly a shop vac, to transfer gasoline from Freeport fire vehicles to his car. It went pear-shaped when the gas ignited, setting fire to both Pena’s car and the Freeport Fire Department’s vehicle, making him a dismal failure as both a criminal and a firefighter. Both vehicles were destroyed and he faces arson charges.

Smaller scale version of large problem

Incidents of gasoline theft, siphoning or from stations, according to MSNBC, is pegged to gas price volatility; as gas prices go up, so do incidents of theft, in the guise of gas station heists, drive-offs and also illegally siphoning gas. It isn’t pleasant to think that on top of insurance and making payments including on the interest assessed by the bank auto loan rate, one has to worry about the tank being drained by miscreants.

It’s also a large problem. The National Association of Convenience Stores, according to the Florida Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association, estimated national losses at $272 million in 2000 from convenience stores alone, then a peak. The NACS reported a peak in 2005, when gasoline theft reached $300 million. Siphoning is not likely as large a problem as convenience store theft, but it does occur.

The New York Daily News reports that one of the best defenses against illegal siphoning is to get a locking fuel filler cap. However, some thieves will punch a hole in the tank or cut the gas line to get the gas.

Sources

AutoBlog

ABC

Phoenix New Times

CBS: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57545763-504083/hurricane-sandy-aftermath-ny-firefighter-charged-with-arson-for-allegedly-setting-two-cars-on-fire-while-siphoning-gas/

MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24779216/ns/business-oil_and_energy/t/gas-prices-soar-thieves-grow-more-brazen/#.UJvs7KBVPcs

FMPA (PDF – Requires Adobe Reader): http://www.fpma.org/upload_library/GasTheftCstores.pdf

NACS: http://www.nacsonline.com/NACS/News/FactSheets/Motor%20Fuels/Pages/GasolineTheftatConvenienceStores.aspx

New York Daily News: http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-04-09/news/31314616_1_gas-caps-high-gas-prices-fuel-theft

After its bankruptcy, American Suzuki will eschew its car business and concentrate on motorcycles. Image: WorldWideMotorcycles/Flickr/CC BY-ND

The unprofitable American Suzuki Motor Corporation has filed for Chapter 11 protection. The bankruptcy is a step toward restructuring its operations to concentrate on motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and outboard boat motors. The American arm of the Japanese automaker Suzuki says it will sell no more cars in the U.S.

American Suzuki filing Chapter 11

The Brea, Calif.-based company is the sole distributor of the Suzuki Motor Co. in the Unites States. It filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Central District of California on Monday, Nov. 5.

According to AOL Autos, the company owes between $100 million and $500 million, and has between 1,000 and 5,000 creditors.

Strong yen, weak demand

The company, which employs 365 people in the U.S., cites low demand and unfavorable foreign exchange rates as the reason for the restructuring. The Japanese yen hit record highs against the dollar last year, and continues to be strong.

The American Suzuki Motor Corporation said, in a statement:

“[The American Suzuki Motor Corporation] recognized it will be unable to maintain profitability with respect to its automobile marketing business.”

Suzuki moved 21,188 vehicles so far in 2012. The largest seller was the Suzuki SX4, which accounted for around two-thirds of those sales. That figure is down 4.7 percent from October in the previous year, according to Autodata. Furthermore, that is just a fraction of the volume moved by its Japanese competitors like Toyota, Honda and Nissan.

(Japanese cars rank high in reliability surveys. Visit a dealership like Sandy Springs Toyota and find out for yourself.)

The American Suzuki Motor says it will honor all of its warranties and buy-back agreements. Some dealerships will close as a casualty of the action, but most, says the company, will transition into parts and service businesses.

As of yet, the company has not released a timetable for its exit from the United States automotive market.

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After the bankruptcy

Once it is out from under bankruptcy protection, the company says it will concentrate its efforts on motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and boat outboard motors, “where the prospects for profit are good.”

The company is quick to point out that the bankruptcy will have no affect on its parent, the Suzuki Motor Company, in Japan. Suzuki Motors will continue to make vehicles for other nations. It is the largest automaker in India, in a partnership with Maruti Motors.

Sources

AOL Autos
USA Today
IOL Motoring

Harrison Ford acts alongside the Fisker Karma in its screen debut, 'Paranoia." Image: jurvetson.Flickr/CC BY

The Fisker Karma has gotten its first movie role, making a cameo appearance alongside Harrison Ford in the upcoming corporate thriller, “Paranoia.” It is a status symbol in the film, indicating that a character has finally “made it.” Only in Hollywood.

Hollywood and the Fisker Karma

The Fisker Karma is an extended-range, luxury electric car that is built in Finland and requires a $102,000 bank car loan just for the base model. It already has connections in Hollywood, where clean technology is coveted. There is a Karma in the fleets of such celebrities as Cee Lo Green, Justin Bieber and Leonardo DiCaprio. Only in Tinsel Town would it be considered a symbol of the American Dream.

Film character seduced by Karma

In the upcoming motion picture “Paranoia,” Harrison Ford, playing Jock Goddard, gives the Karma to an up-and-comer, Adam Casidy, played by Liam Hemsworth. It is part of a “seduction” designed to make Casidy feel like he’s now “made it.”

Ford told USA Today:

“The character Liam plays has the fault of ambition, unbridled ambition. So he is prey to some of the possible rewards that might come his way too easily. The car is part of the process.”

Hemsworth said his character is primed to jump at the gift:

“It goes super quick and doesn’t really make any sound. It’s all about what my character is aiming for. He’s a smart guy and he’s always wanted to live the high life.”

Ford is also the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of Conservation International, so his interest in spinning the “green” Karma as a symbol of status may may be more than just professional.

“Paranoia” also stars Gary Oldman and Amber heard. It is scheduled for national release later this month.

In any other time, and in any other place, the gift would have been a Cadillac or a Porsche.

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Fisker needs good karma

Fisker is probably hoping the “super-sized” product placement will help its struggling sales. It certainly could use all the help it can get, considering the recent blows to its ego.

The automaker recalled 2,400 Karmas in August over a faulty cooling fan. It has also suffered a lemon law buyback and high-profile issues with its federal loan money. That money was frozen when the automaker failed to meet certain production milestones.

Last month, Consumer Reports trashed it as the worst luxury sedan now available on the market. The car was the first ever to break down during testing by the private consumer watchdog.

Fisker was also trashed in the first presidential debate when when Mitt Romney dubbed it one of the “losers” that the White House has invested in under President Obama’s watch.

Earlier this week, it was announced that A123 Systems, the maker of the battery packs used in the Karma, had filed for bankruptcy. It is unknown how that will affect its future production.

Sources

Motor Authority
USA Today
Torque News

600,000 Honda Accords are affected in a new expanded recall effort. Image: drukelly/Fickr/CC BY-ND

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced a Honda Accord recall that will affect nearly 600,000 midsize cars in the U.S. and Canada. The recall is over a deteriorated power steering hose that has the potential of causing an engine fire.

One engine fire prompts Honda Accord recall

The recall affects Accords from the model years 2003 through 2007, but only those with V8 engines.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the power steering hose and connectors on the Accords may be deteriorated from prolonged exposure to engine heat. They may now be to a point where a leak could develop. Power steering fluid leaked onto a hot engine could lead to a fire inside the engine compartment.

The recall is being called following one incident of engine fire. However, there have been no accidents or injuries associated with the problem.

Replacement parts are not yet available

As is normal in recalls, Honda says it will inspect and fix the problem at no cost to owners. However, not so typically, the automaker says the out-of-production replacement hoses will have to be re-manufactured, And that will take until after the end of the year.

Ed Miller, a spokesman for the Japanese automaker, said Monday:

“We’re going to start making them and getting them out there as soon as we can.”

Miller also said that owners who suspect leaks now should have their vehicles inspected immediately.

A reputation for reliability may be shaken

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The Honda Accord has consistently been a top-seller in its class. It is second only to the Toyota Camry. The reason for its popularity, no doubt, has much to do with its reputation for reliability. However, that reputation may currently be at risk. The automaker recalled more cars than any other manufacturer in 2011.

The current recall is actually an expansion of an earlier recall. In May, Honda recalled 52,615 Acura TLs from the 2007 and 2008 model years. Acura is Honda’s luxury line.  With the current recall expansion factored in, Honda is on target to again top the nation’s recall list for 2012.

Affected owners to be notified soon

Honda says it will begin informing owners of the recall by telephone in early October. However, nationwide, concerned owners of a possibly affected Honda, Austin, TX to Middlebury, VT, can call Honda at 800-999-1009. Alternately, the NHTSA can be contacted through its vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236. Have your car’s VIN on hand to expedite the call.

Sources

Examiner
NBC
AOL Autos