Honda Recalling 700,000 Cars

Every time there's an auto recall these days, I think of Toyota's massive recalls of 12 million vehicles in the past year and a half. The big difference is that Honda's Fit recall isn't driven by deaths of motorists, especially the fiery crash in San Diego County recorded on a 911 distress call in which a family died in a Toyota Lexus.

(USA Today)

Honda is recalling about 693,000 subcompacts sold worldwide under three nameplates -- including 2009-10 Fits sold in the U.S. -- for bad springs in the engine's valvetrain.

Honda says 97,201 of the Fits are in the U.S. The recall is to replace bad "lost motion springs" which are are compressed by rocker arms in normal engine use. The springs may bend or break over time, says Honda, resulting in abnormal engine noise and potentially causing engine damage or stalling.

Read more on Honda's recall.