Honda has issued a recall affecting nearly 900,000 of its Honda Odyssey minivans due to a potential fire hazard.
The recall affects Honda Odyssey minivans from the 2005 through 2010 model years and is due to a potential problem with the fuel pump that could cause it to catch fire. If the fuel pump is exposed to acidic chemicals or a high temperature environment, then the fuel pump strainer has the potential to crack.
Those acidic chemicals are found in things that vehicles could easily encounter like fertilizer, dust control products, and even chemicals used in a car wash. Once the fuel pump strainer cracks, this may cause the smell of gasoline inside the van and might allow fuel to actually leak out.
The problem has been under study by Honda since October of 2012, but they were only able to confirm the cause on March 6th of this year. Although Honda has received 187 warranty claims as a result of this issue, no fires or injuries have been reported.
Due to the huge number of affected vehicles, Honda doesn’t currently have enough replacement fuel pumps on hand to fix every vehicle affected by the recall and doesn’t expect to have enough until summer. They will be sending a notice to owners of affected Honda Odyssey minivans now to alert them of the issue, and then following up with a second letter once dealers have the parts on hand.
Check out our review of the 2014 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite…
Nicole Wakelin fell in love with cars as a teenager when she got to go for a ride in a Ferrari. It was red and it was fast and that was all that mattered. Game over. She considers things a bit more carefully now, but still has a weakness for fast, beautiful cars. Nicole also writes for NerdApproved and GeekMom.