Honda halts CR-V sales after recall plan rebuffed
Honda Motor Co. has halted new sales of CR-V compact crossovers in China and may have to do the same with the compact Civic car after a Chinese watchdog rejected the automaker's plan to recall 350,000 of the vehicles to fix a problem.
The Japanese company had planned to address a cold-climate engine problem on two of its top-selling nameplates in two phases, recalling CR-Vs beginning in late February and Civics in early March.
A Honda spokesman said last week that China's quality control watchdog considered its plan insufficient, leading Honda to stop sales of new CR-Vs until a revised recall plan had been approved.
The company's problems in the world's biggest auto market highlight what appears to be an emerging trend, in which Chinese customers air their complaints on Weibo -- the country's Twitter equivalent -- and other social media, forcing carmakers to act.
With complaints pouring in from CR-V and Civic owners in mid-January, Honda devised a recall plan in about a month.
Honda had said on Feb. 12 it intended to recall roughly 350,000 CR-Vs and Civics with 1.5-liter turbo engines. Both affected nameplates have been sold by Honda’s joint venture with China's Dongfeng Motor Corp.
The Honda spokesman said company officials last week went to China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine to explain its plan.
On Thursday, the agency said in a statement on its official website that Honda's proposals were “not enough.”
“The company needs to improve the recall plans further,” it said, suggesting Honda could extend the warranty coverage period of the affected vehicles.
The Honda spokesman said its officials were expected to go back to the agency with a revised plan soon. He did not elaborate.
The recalls are intended to fix a problem caused by an unusual amount of unburned fuel collecting in the engine’s lubricant oil pan.
The problem in some cases caused a strong odor of gasoline inside the vehicle and in others the vehicle’s check-engine light came on. Honda and Dongfeng plan to resolve the problem by updating the engine’s gasoline injection control software.
Honda officials said there had been no reports of accidents.
A Honda spokesman said last week that China's quality control watchdog considered its plan insufficient, leading Honda to stop sales of new CR-Vs until a revised recall plan had been approved.
The company's problems in the world's biggest auto market highlight what appears to be an emerging trend, in which Chinese customers air their complaints on Weibo -- the country's Twitter equivalent -- and other social media, forcing carmakers to act.
With complaints pouring in from CR-V and Civic owners in mid-January, Honda devised a recall plan in about a month.
Honda had said on Feb. 12 it intended to recall roughly 350,000 CR-Vs and Civics with 1.5-liter turbo engines. Both affected nameplates have been sold by Honda’s joint venture with China's Dongfeng Motor Corp.
The Honda spokesman said company officials last week went to China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine to explain its plan.
On Thursday, the agency said in a statement on its official website that Honda's proposals were “not enough.”
“The company needs to improve the recall plans further,” it said, suggesting Honda could extend the warranty coverage period of the affected vehicles.
The Honda spokesman said its officials were expected to go back to the agency with a revised plan soon. He did not elaborate.
The recalls are intended to fix a problem caused by an unusual amount of unburned fuel collecting in the engine’s lubricant oil pan.
The problem in some cases caused a strong odor of gasoline inside the vehicle and in others the vehicle’s check-engine light came on. Honda and Dongfeng plan to resolve the problem by updating the engine’s gasoline injection control software.
Honda officials said there had been no reports of accidents.
