April 1, 2011, 11:01 am
VW Recalls 2011 Jettas in Which Horn Can Make Engine Stall[size=8pt][/size]By CHRISTOPHER JENSEN

Volkswagen is recalling about 71,000 Jettas from the 2011 model year because a wiring problem with the horn could cause the engine to stall .The problem is that the same fuse is used for the horn and the antitheft system, Volkswagen told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

If there is an electrical short in the horn, Volkswagen said, it would blow the fuse, shutting off the engine management system. That would cause the engine to stall or might turn off the headlights or windshield wipers.

If a driver was “using lights, wipers and then pushing the horn the fuse could blow,” said Sheriece Matias, a Volkswagen spokeswoman. But she said that would be “an extremely rare combination of events.”

The automaker told the agency that it was not aware of the problem causing any accidents and that a Volkswagen employee discovered the problem while studying a Jetta that experienced intermittent stalling.

Volkswagen described the recall as voluntary, but under federal regulations once a manufacturer learns of a safety problem, it has no choice but to inform N.H.T.S.A. and recall the vehicle

• Honda is recalling about 2,800 2011 Odyssey minivans because the glass in the front doors is defective and in the worst case could shatter “into the passenger cabin, causing a risk of injury.”

Honda blamed the use of “the incorrect primer fluid” on the glass for the problem. That could allow the glass to separate from the holding clips and “bind or drop into the front doors” or shatter, the automaker told the agency.