A fifth recall of the newly redesigned Fit in its first year of production has prompted Honda, once considered a leader in quality automaking, to appoint someone to be specifically in charge of quality assurance. In addition, top executives at Honda are taking temporary pay cuts as punishment for the not-so Fit.
While not every recall has affected the Fit vehicles sold in the United States, globally, this is one of Honda’s best-selling vehicles and in one of the most competitive segments. For three months, executives at Honda are taking 20 percent pay cuts for their responsibility in failing to oversee the car’s readiness to market. The money will be used to offset losses associated with the recalls.
Honda President Takanobu Ito, who is also taking a pay cut, appointed Koichi Fukuo as the company’s executive in charge of quality reform, described as the new “quality czar” for Honda.
The recalls of the Fit have caused a lot of turmoil at Honda. Fukuo will be in charge of revamping the quality control processes at the company as well as overseeing new testing and quality assurance measures for Honda’s supply chain. Meanwhile, vehicles like the upcoming HR-V compact crossover are being delayed so that full quality assurance can be had before launch.
The Fit’s recalls have been over and above the airbag recall that has plagued the automotive industry at large as one of the biggest suppliers of airbags found defects in its products.
