Honda Recalls Nearly 172,000 of Its Popular Jazz

KOMPAS.com - Honda is to recall nearly 172,000 of its popular Jazz model in Britain following a fatal car fire sparked by a faulty electric window. The recall by the Japanese car maker affects models sold in Britain between 2002 and 2008.

It is part of a worldwide recall of 646,000 Jazzes, including 140,000 in the United States.  Honda said: 'It affects those models built in Japan, China, Brazil, Thailand, Malaysia and India.'

The recall is to fix a defective master switch, which could cause water to enter the power window switch and in some cases cause a fire. It comes hard on the heels of rivals Toyota recalling up to two million cars in Britain and Europe because of a sticky accelerator pedal.

In a statement Honda said: 'Under some severe operating conditions, water, rain, or other liquid may enter the driver's window and reach the master power window switch resulting in impaired function of the switch.'

It said that damage to the switch could result in overheating, which 'may cause smoke, melting or, potentially, fire'.

The recall follows an incident during which a two-year-old died after the switch caused a fire in a car in Cape Town, South Africa, last September.