Honda Civics recalled in the UAE for engine problem

An engine problem has led to the recall of nearly 7,000 Honda Civics across the UAE.

DUBAI // Almost 7,000 Honda Civics are being recalled because of a fault in the water cooling system that could stop the car's engine.

The recall affects some Civics sold between 2009 and 2010. Owners are being notified to bring their cars in for immediate servicing.

The problem is with a small bolt in the water pulley system that can loosen, which could result in engine failure.

"The UAE is our biggest market in the GCC for Civics, so this affects a very small proportion of these models, about 6,986 cars," said Arijit Basu, the general manager of Sales for Honda Middle East. "We have notified Al-Futtaim Motors [the only licensed distributors of Honda in the UAE] and they have the database of customers who have the affected chassis number and will be contacting them to bring their cars in for checks."

The cars will have the bolt replaced and tested to make sure it works. "It's not a serious fault, but if the part fails, the car will come to a stop," Mr Basu said.

The cars must be taken to service centres run by Al-Futtaim Honda. No one from the company could be contacted yesterday for comment.

The recall is part of a worldwide effort by the Japanese manufacturer that reportedly affects 200,000 models of Civics, as well as Stream and Crossroad brands, which are not sold in the UAE.

In May 2010, Honda recalled 245 cars because of faulty brakes, affecting the Odyssey and Element models made in 2007 and 2008.

That recall was triggered by customer complaints stating that air would enter the braking system, making the brakes gradually less responsive.

In February of this year, UAE Honda owners were unaffected by a global recall of almost one million 2001 and 2002 Accord, Civic, Odyssey and CR-V models due to faulty driver-side air bags.

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