Drive a Honda? Car recall expands due to fire risk

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Honda is recalling more than 500,000 of its popular Accord vehicles because of a potential fire risk in their engines.

Honda said roughly 572,000 Accord V6’s from model years 2003-2007 are covered under the recall. The power steering hoses in these cars are at risk of leaking, creating smoke and potentially sparking engine fires, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

So far, no crashes or injuries have been reported as a result of the problem, though one engine fire has been documented, Honda said in a statement Friday.

Honda is expanding on an earlier recall announced in May of roughly 53,000 Acura TL’s from model years 2007 and 2008 affected by the same problem. The company will replace the power steering hoses at dealerships free of charge, though replacement parts will not be available for the 572,000 defective Accords until early next year.

Honda pledged to notify car-owners when the parts become available. In the meantime, “interim repairs” can be done at Honda dealerships for drivers who fear their vehicles are afflicted, the company said.

In July, Honda was forced to recall more than 170,000 CR-Vs and Acura ILXs because of a problem with their front-door latches. The automaker also recalled some 46,000 Odyssey minivans earlier this year because their tailgates were at risk of dropping unexpectedly.