It is a known fact that Honda has announced a global recall for its Jazz and Fit units owing to the defective power window switches that may cause trouble if they come into contact with water.
The more intimidating fact is that, until all the cars are checked and fixed by the Japanese luxury car major, the company is requesting over 686,000 Jazz and Fit owners all over the globe to park the cars in an open area because the company fears that the power window switches run the risk of catching fire.
Honda recently announced that it is going to recall the Fit and Jazz units that were manufactured between 2007 and 2008. The Japanese company is also advising the owners of the cars of this particular make not to park them in garages till the cars’ driver’s side power window switches are inspected and replaced.
According to the company, water can seep inside the driver’s side door through an open window and spoil the power window switch’s circuit, causing it to get overheated increasing the risk of catching a fire. A Honda spokesperson has confirmed that the faulty power switches have not caused any injuries so far, but the company has reported seven cases where the switches have melted due to heat generation and in two cases they caused fires in the driver’s side door.
Honda is recalling over 143,000 units of Jazz in the United States and around 35,000 in Canada. The Honda Jazz and Fit is essentially the same car, but is sold under separate names in various car markets of the world.
The Honda spokesperson also said that this is the second recall of the vehicles for the same problem. Back in 2010, Honda had recalled the same cars to repair the switches but they were not efficient enough to ensure that all the switches will be entirely safe from possible moisture entry. He added that all the reported cases of damage due to the faulty switches occurred before the first recall.
Honda is making the new recall as a preventive measure, where the Honda dealers will inspect the switches carefully and if necessary, they will be replaced. If the switches are found in good condition, then the cars will go back to their owner until Honda is able to procure enough parts to replace all of the switches of the cars of the particular make. The Honda spokesperson also said that post inspections, the owners can safely park the cars inside garages. All inspections and repairs will be carried out for free.
In India, Honda had announced in June that it is going to recall 42,672 second generation Honda City cars due to similar faulty Power Window Switches. These Honda City cars also belong to the batch of 2007 and 2008 similar to the Jazz/Fit cars. Honda said that the company is going to replace the faulty switches as a part of preventive measure and that the Indian Jazz is not a part of the global recall.
