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Honda recalling 405K vehicles over airbag issue

Honda is in hot water due to an airbag glitch that is causing it to recall 405,400 vehicles. According to the campaign, the supplemental restraints might fire for no apparent reason. 342,000 of the affected vehicles are 2003 and 2004 Odyssey minivans, which gels with a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation we reported on in June.
Joining the Odyssey in the recall is the Acura MDX, with 63,400 units covered from the 2003 model year. Unlike the van, though, the MDX's recall covers Japan and Australia, in addition to the US and Canada. Both vehicles are suffering from an airbag control unit that is prone to malfunction when exposed to electrical noise, a condition that can cause the airbags to deploy without warning. Although no crashes have been reported in such scenarios, there have been some injuries typical of airbag deployment - abrasions and such.
Honda will be mailing recall notices to owners near the end of October, asking them to bring their vehicles into the dealership for installation of an electrical noise filter. The repair will take about an hour and be free of charge. Scroll down for the official announcement from Honda.

Acura ILX headed for Civic-like early upgrades

The not-yet-ready-for-primetime 2012 Honda Civic saw it quickly returned to sender for refurbishment, now the Acura ILX is headed in the same direction in its very first year. Automotive News reports that the small, Civic-based sedan from Honda's luxury brand isn't meeting sales expectations, with an annualized rate of 22,000 to 24,000 sales instead of the 30,000 the company is after. More telling is that the ILX "is being outsold by the Buick Verano, Volkswagen CC and Audi A4," and, except for two months since it launched, it has also been outdone by the Acura TSX it is meant to replace.
Part of the cause has been the 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine: its 150 horsepower to motivate a sedan that can weigh up to 2,970 pounds doesn't offer the kind of performance or value experience that buyers in the segment respond to. Another big issue is that the top-level 2.4-liter engine is only offered with a six-speed manual even though most buyers of the highest trim don't really want to shift their own gears. Lastly, the ILX might not put enough space between it and its frugal underpinnings - our first drive review pegged it as "the world's nicest Honda Civic."
An automatic transmission is on the way for the 2.4-liter, but it isn't clear when. And while Honda admits that the 2.0-liter is underpowered and Automotive News says it's on the way out, the company hasn't yet said how that situation will be corrected.

2015 Acura TLX priced from $30,995*

Following a delay this spring, Acura is now ready to launch the 2015 TLX sedan this August, with pricing now confirmed to start at $30,995, *not including $895 for destination. This base MSRP is just $360 more than that of the outgoing TSX sedan; the TLX replaces both the TSX and TL in Acura's 2015 model year lineup.
That's a pretty fair deal considering that introductory price gets buyers a front-wheel drive TLX with a 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine with 206 horsepower,mated to a new eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, and featuring the automaker's Precision All-Wheel Steer (P-AWS) system. Adding a Technology Package ups the MSRP to $35,025.
Of course, the TLX is also available with a 290-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 mated to Acura's new nine-speed automatic transmission. The TLX V6 P-AWS starts at $25,220 and climbs to $39,250 with the Technology Package. The bottom line on the range-topping Advance model is $42,500. Acura's Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive is available with the 3.5-liter engine, too - the SH-AWD Technology model starts at $41,450, while the SH-AWD Advance commands $44,700.