Honda recalls 600,000 Accords to fix faulty hoses

DETROIT -- Honda is recalling 600,000 Accord midsize cars in the U.S. and Canada to fix a faulty power steering hose that can leak fluid and cause a fire.

The recall affects Accords with V-6 engines from the 2003 through 2007 model years. Honda has a report of one fire but no injuries or crashes.

The five-passenger Accord is consistently among the top-selling vehicles in the United States, mainly because of its reputation for reliability and fuel economy. For years it has been the nation's second-best-selling car, beaten only by the Toyota Camry.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the government agency that monitors vehicle safety, said in a posting on its website during the weekend that the Accord's power steering hose can deteriorate with prolonged exposure to engine heat. The hoses can crack and leak, possibly causing a fire or loss of power-assisted steering, the documents said.

Honda will replace the hoses for free, but it won't have the parts available until early next year. Any owner who suspects a leak should take their car to a dealer for inspection, Honda spokesman Ed Miller said Monday.

The company that makes the Accord's power-steering hoses had to ramp up manufacturing to make them since the affected cars are more than five model years old and the hoses were out of production, Miller said.

"We're going to start making them and getting them out there as soon as we can," he said.

The Accords are being added to a May recall of 53,000 Acura TL midsize luxury cars in the U.S. from the 2007 and 2008 model years. Acura is Honda's luxury brand.

The replacement hoses for the Accords are different from the hoses in the original Acura recall, Honda said.