Honda aims to cut recall process to a month

TOKYO, June 10 Reuters reported that the Honda Motor Co said it aimed to cut the time it takes to process a recall to one month, as pressure grows on the industry for higher standards.

Honda said recent efforts had shortened its recall processing time to an average two months from 3.5 months in the past.

A one-month processing period would be the shortest among Japanese automakers, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun daily said.

"One month is our ultimate goal," said Noriko Okamoto, a spokeswoman for the nation's second-largest automaker.

"To do this we are reviewing our organisation and the way we oversee quality control."

Okamoto said, however, that Honda did not have a specific timetable to achieve the one-month goal.

Honda said it also intended to more than double the number of quality control analysts from around 100 at its Tochigi Research Centre, north of Tokyo.

The recall process begins with complaints at a dealership and concludes when authorities are notified of a recall.

Honda's peers average four to six months to process a recall, the, Nikkei said.

Automakers normally have several recalls a year but scandals including a customer complaints cover-up scandal at Mitsubishi Motors Corp have raised pressure for better standards.

Last month, Honda said it would recall 2.57 million vehicles worldwide at a cost of 22.7 billion yen ($182.4 million) to replace a faulty ignition switch.