Honda recalls Odyssey minivans in US

Japanese automaker Honda will recall nearly 46,000 Odyssey minivans in the United States next month to fix a problem with the power tailgate, US authorities said Wednesday. Honda is recalling 45,747 certain model year 2008-2009 Odyssey minivans due to "a manufacturing flaw" in the power liftgate system, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on its website. A Honda spokesman said the company was recalling 51,633 of the vehicles worldwide. The recall outside the US affects 5,586 vehicles mainly in Canada and Mexico, as well as in the Middle East and Germany, he said. The NHTSA said the problem was in the pressurized gas-filled struts that help to raise and support the liftgate on vehicles equipped with a power liftgate system. The flaw can result in a gas leak that could lead to an unexpected closure of the liftgate, "increasing the risk of personal injury," the NHTSA said. Honda will contact the US owners of the vehicles concerned, with the recall expected to begin on or about March 13, it said.