Owners of 2011 Honda CR-Z hybrids may soon be getting a recall notice in the mail.
If, that is, their car is one of roughly 5,600 of the hybrid sports coupes fitted with the six-speed manual transmission rather than Honda's continuously variable transmission (CVT) automatic.
The manual-transmission cars require a software update to modify the logic that controls the 15-kW electric motor in Honda's Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid system.
Under an unusual set of circumstances, Honda says, the CR-Z's electric motor could rotate in the opposite direction to the gear selected in the transmission if the car stalls in gear with very low charge in its nickel-metal hydride battery pack.
2011 Honda CR-Z
In that case, if the driver hasn't put the brakes on, the car could move slowly away in a direction opposite from that intended: backwards despite the car being in a forward gear, for instance.
It would likely be a rare occurrence, and Honda says no injuries or deaths have been reported as a result of the software flaw.
Honda will notify owners of the 5,626 affected CR-Z models starting late this month, after which owners should schedule an appointment with their dealer to have the control software updated.
Once the company has notified 2011 CR-Z owners, they can also determine whether their car is subject to the recall by by going on-line to Honda's recall site or by calling (800) 999-1009, and selecting option 4.
[Honda]
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