A toll-free number listed in more than a million Honda owners' manuals was supposed to direct callers to a government hotline – not to another number where the conversation is probably about anything but auto safety.
Honda Motor Co. said it incorrectly published an 800 prefix, rather than an 888, on a toll-free vehicle safety telephone number in 1.2 million manuals for 2006 model year Honda and Acura vehicles and Honda motorcycles. Owners who dial the 800 prefix hear a recorded message in which a woman's voice, speaking over a funky beat, urges them to call 1-800-918-TALK for “just 99 cents per minute.”
In a letter last week to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Honda said it will send postcards to dealers and owners in August with the correct NHTSA hotline information – 1-888-327-4236 – along with instructions to insert the card into the proper section of the manual.
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The manuals, which were printed from August 2005 through July 2006, were also used in 18,000 Honda Fit compact vehicles and about 8,000 motorcycles from the 2007 model year.
