NHTSA: 2006 Honda CR-V /2007 Kia Optima

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Government Investigates 2006 Honda CR-V and 2007 Kia Optima


Nov 30, 2010

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating the 2006 Honda CR-V for electrical issues and the 2007 Kia Optima for shifting problems.

According to The Boston Globe, “the Honda CR-V probe covers about 150,000 vehicles. Three owners complained of fires in the driver's door coming from the driver's power window switch.” The government opened this investigation because of three vehicle owner complaints.

“Meanwhile, the agency is investigating 41,000 Kia Optimas for faulty transmission shift cables,” writes Autoblog. “Owners have reported problems with the cables becoming detached from the transmission, effectively locking the vehicle into or out of gear. In one case, a vehicle rolled away after being shut off.” NHTSA says it’s looking into the faulty transmissions because it received three complaints from owners.

There are no reports of accidents, injury or death for either vehicle.

These vehicles are very popular -- especially the Honda CR-V. While you can take your car to the dealership to get checked, you’ll save money by waiting until the NHTSA issues a recall because repairs will be free. For now, you can avoid problems by not parking your Optima on inclines. Like the CR-V, 2007 and 2008 Honda Fits experienced a similar problem. NHTSA hasn’t said if the issues are related, but Fit customers were advised to keep their windows up during rain or snow. We’ll update you if either investigation leads to a recall.

LINK: Government Investigates 2006 Honda CR-V and 2007 Kia Optima - U.S. News Rankings and Reviews