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New Odyssey ads feature Honda Vac, star power

Honda has released a string of new ads highlighting its refreshed, 2014 Odyssey minivan. While the Japanese brand hasn't started bragging about attaining the first Top Safety Pick+ for minivans, it's all too happy to brag about another first - the world's first van with a built-in vacuum cleaner.
In three spots, anthropomorphic children's rubbish discusses the merits of the new minivan, only to be sucked up by the built-in vacuum, which is only available in the top-end Touring Elite model. There's also quite a bit of star power floating around for those that watch a lot of TV. Neil Patrick Harris from Doogie Howser, MD and How I Met Your Mother voices a character in one of the spots, while Rainn Wilson from The Office stars in another. Take a look below for all three ads from Honda.

Honda recalling 1,400 units of 2016 Pilot to adjust seatbelts

Just as the new model starts arriving at dealers, Honda is already recalling the 2016 Pilot in order to adjust the third-row seatbelt positioning in some of them. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports this campaign covers 1,358 vehicles. However, Honda asserts that only a tiny number of owners actually need to bring their crossover into their dealerships for repair. Honda discovered during quality checks at the factory that the third-row seatbelt could be trapped between the seat and the side of the vehicle. This could pose a safety issue to passengers back there. The affected examples have build dates between May 4, 2015, and June 5, 2015. Because the 2016 Pilots were just launching when this problem was discovered most of them were still at the factory, in transit, or at dealers. According to Honda, only 269 of the affected examples actually made it to owners. The automaker got in contact with these customers to reposition the seatbelt. There are still 20 left that need to be checked, and this issue isn't responsible for any reported crashes or injuries. RECALL Subject : Rear Seatbelt May Be Trapped Report Receipt Date: JUL 06, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V424000 Component(s): SEAT BELTS Potential Number of Units Affected: 1,358 All Products Associated with this Recall Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s) HONDA PILOT 2016 Details Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) SUMMARY: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 Honda Pilot vehicles manufactured May 4, 2015, to June 5, 2015. Due to an assembly issue, the third row seatbelt may be trapped between the rear seat and the rear sideliner. CONSEQUENCE: If the third row seatbelt is trapped, the occupants may not be restrained properly, increasing the risk of injury. REMEDY: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and repair the rear third row seat belt, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on August 6, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-310-783-2000. Honda's number for this recall is JS7. NOTES: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Honda Civic losing ground to Toyota Corolla, sales crown threatened

Oh, what a difference a year has made. When the numbers were tallied for 2013, the Honda Civic was riding high by claiming its segment's sales crown in the US despite being challenged by the latest generation of the Toyota Corolla for part of the year. However, with just a month to go in the battle for C-segment supremacy in 2014, it looks like Toyota gets to hoist the trophy this time. Looking at November sales numbers, Honda moved 300,644 Civics through the first 11 months of the year, down 2.1 percent in volume. Furthermore, for the month alone, the company sold 23,060 Civics, a 12.3 percent drop. Meanwhile, on Toyota's side, business has been booming comparatively. Through the first 11 months it sold 309,373 Corollas, a 10.6 percent jump, and for November alone it moved 25,609 examples, a 14.2 percent improvement. With fewer than 10,000 cars between them, it would take quite a December slump for the Corolla to lose this fight. According to The Truth About Cars, the Civic actually started out the 2014 somewhat positively with 5 percent growth over the previous year, though still behind the Corolla's figures. However, the Honda has seen a slide since then with five consecutive months of sales drops. Meanwhile, the Toyota has generally kept showing growth. Being the newer model of the two, the Corolla comes to this fight with an advantage. Honda hasn't let the Civic languish; it gave the model a CVT in 2014 to boost fuel economy. That's nothing like the Toyota's thorough recent rethink, though. According to TTAC, Honda does have reason to crow about the Civic, just not necessarily in the US. The model is on track to be the bestselling vehicle in Canada for the 17th consecutive year and have its best sales since 2008 there.