Honda Recall – Owners Must Visit Authorised Workshops for Check
DOH, on behalf of its principal, Honda Motor Company, recently announced a recall of its vehicles that were manufactured between August 1996 and December 1999 for the replacement of an ignition system-related component which could be defective.
The recall affects only imported models and not those assembled in Malaysia. While the number of officially-imported Hondas (by Kah Motors previously) is fairly small, a very large number of vehicles were brought in by independent importers. Some of them were new while others were reconditioned secondhand units.
In the past, those who bought the privately-imported units were not entitled to any sort of support because these were actually intended for the Japanese market and not for Malaysia. If there were any warranty problems, owners would have to contact the selling dealer in Japan for rectification… obviously impractical to do.
Now, under DOH, things have changed because Honda has a substantial share in the new company (which will be one year old next month) and wants to ensure that Honda owners everywhere get a degree of after-sales support. Thus, with this recall, owners of privately-imported models can also receive support and free replacement parts, if applicable.
In order to qualify for the replacement which is free of charge, a Honda owner must bring his or her vehicle to an authorised Honda service centre for diagnosis. Not all vehicles are affected and there is a database of chassis numbers available for public reference on the DOH website. Owners can check by themselves whether their vehicle is on the list if they do not wish to go to the service centre.
Nevertheless, all replacement can only be done at the authorised service centre. This point is emphasised by DOH because of the need to ensure that the work is done in accordance with Honda procedures and standards. As with the authorised service centres of every global automaker, the personnel are trained specifically on the make’s products and know it best.
“We have received some requests from owners for the replacement part to be given to them so that they can have it installed in their own workshop,” Asako Suzuki, Deputy GM of the Marketing Division at DOH, told AUTOWORLD.COM.MY. “Unfortunately, we cannot agree to such a request because we want to ensure that the replacement is done properly and by personnel who are trained by Honda.”
“Furthermore, we cannot supply the part free of charge if the vehicle concerned is not identified as having a defective part. We will only supply the part to our authorised service centre which must provide documentation confirming that a diagnostic check has been carried out and the vehicle qualifies for a replacement under the recall exercise,” she added.
Because of the number of models affected – CR-V, Prelude, Integra, Odyssey, Inspire, LaGreat, Life, Capa, S-MX and Saber – DOH cannot keep ready stock of the replacement part. Once it receives notice from a service centre that a specific vehicle requires the part, an order will be sent to Japan and the part will arrive in Malaysia within a few weeks.
Ms Suzuki also said that DOH does not sell Honda Genuine Parts directly to owners. It is a distribution and marketing company and retail activities are handled by the Honda authorised dealer network nationwide.
“We hope that our valued customers do not misunderstand this point and we urge them to contact our dealers for spare parts and services. Of course, they can also contact our office at any time to get advice and assistance or even to let us know if they are not happy with the services provided by our dealers. We welcome all feedback.”
