It’s one of those days where car recalls are abounding and it seems that fuel leaks are to blame in both cases: General Motors has issued a recall of almost 41,000 vehicles from the 2007 to 2009 model years after discovering a possible problem with cars sold in warm weather states. And then Honda blows that recall out of the water by issuing an alert for 573,000 Accords from model years between 2003 and 2007.

Let’s tackle Honda’s pretty serious recall woes first, shall we? The Accords affected in the recall are equipped with V-6 engines, and need to have a defective power steering hose fixed so it doesn’t leak fluid and catch on fire. One fire has been reported thus far, but no injuries, says the Associated Press.

This recall joins the company’s previous May recall of the Acura TL midsize luxury car. Hoses will be replaced for free but there aren’t any actual parts yet, and new ones won’t be available until early 2013. If you think your car is leaking, take it to the dealer.

On to GM: Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 sedans from 2007 to 2009 and Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac Torrent SUVs and Saturn Ion sedans from the 2007 model year are included in the recall. The potential for a fire comes down to vehicles with plastic parts connected to the fuel pump which could crack. If a crack keeps growing, fuel could leak and then cause a fire, reports the Associated Press.

So far there haven’t been any reports of fires or injuries, however. GM was prompted to investigate the possibility for such events when a dealer reported fuel leaks from vehicles. The company says it’s more likely cars in warm-weather states would be affected, after looking at its warranty data. If you live in any of those states, GM will fix the car at no charge.

Owners will be notified of the recall by mail, but some owners will get letters offering a free repair only within a certain time period and only if the parts are cracked. But really, the limited time period should be plenty enough time to get people to bring their cars in — the offer runs for 10 years or 120,000 miles from when the car was sold.

GM recalls 40,859 cars for possible fuel leaks [Associated Press]
Honda recalls 573,000 Accords to fix faulty hoses that can crack, leak and cause a fire [Associated Press]

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