Honda Motor Co., Ltd. HMC announced the recall of Accord Hybrid vehicles of model year 2014-2015 in the U.S. to update the system software. The recall will cover nearly 6,786 vehicles. Honda will update the hybrid system software related to the hybrid battery cell voltage sensor ("CVS") in these vehicles. According to the company, the CVS of these vehicles lack adequate electrical noise toughness. As a result, the sensor sometimes erroneously interprets electrical noise from the hybrid battery inverter and motor circuits, leading the vehicle to turn on a fail-safe electric vehicle ("EV") mode. The vehicle's internal combustion engine turns off in this mode and the maximum speed is limited to 40 mph. Moreover, once the mode is turned on, the vehicle can travel a maximum of two miles as the electric battery will discharge after that. This can also lead to a crash if the vehicle stalls due to battery drain. Honda found out about this error through the warranty claim process. The company is not aware of any injury caused by this fault. It will notify owners of the recalled vehicles by mail from next month. Once an owner takes the vehicle to an authorized dealer, the software will be updated free of cost to fix the error. Honda currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better-ranked automobile stocks include Daimler AG DDAIF , Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. NSANY and Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. FUJHY . While Daimler sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), both Nissan and Fuji Heavy Industries hold a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.
Honda is recalling 58 examples of the 2014-2015 Accord hybrid for an issue that can cause them to go into fail-safe mode. There are no reports of injuries or accidents, but the company has received 6,786 warranty claims about the problem as of Sept. 17, 2015, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported.