USA

As the result of a single incident involving the rupture and ejection of a CNG fuel tank, American Honda is voluntarily recalling all of Civic GX CNG four door sedans, manufactured from 1998 to 2007 and marketed by American Honda.  Honda’s investigation of the incident determined that an arsonist broke the rear window of the Civic and used an accelerant in the rear seat area that resulted in an intense fire that burned through the seat and into the area of the CNG tank -- but away from the Pressure Relief Device (PRD).

The heating of the tank, combined with the burning of the resin which holds the wrapped material around the tank, caused a weakening of the tank, resulting in the tank's ultimate rupture. The PRD is designed to be activated by the heat from a fire, but in this unique situation, the fire spread from an area that would not normally sustain fire damage due to the fire retardant materials used in the interior. Honda believes that there is very little possibility of this situation arising again.  However, they have decided to implement a safety recall and fit an insulation blanket to the rear seatback in order to prevent a similar incident from occurring.  For more information, contact Honda’s Eric Rosenberg at 310/781-4457.