Honda sweats on bike tests

The Honda brand is a common sight on Vietnam’s roads

Honda Vietnam’s general director Koji Onishi said: “At the moment [last Thursday afternoon December 8], we have not yet received any official information about the motorcycle explosion case, nor have we technically checked the motorcycle which is under Bac Ninh police investigation,” Onishi said.

“This is a serious case that has never happened before with products of Honda Vietnam (HVN). Therefore, we are willing to cooperate with police to find out the root cause of this case as soon as possible,” he said.

A pregnant 29-year-old woman was killed and her nine-year-old daughter seriously injured in the incident when the motorcycle they were riding suddenly exploded in northern Bac Ninh province.
The explosion flung them off the Honda bike, bought in March, 2011.

The two were then taken to Bac Ninh General Hospital, but the mother died shortly afterwards from multiple injuries. The daughter suffered serious burns and her left leg was amputated. She is now  receiving treatment at the National Institute of Burns.

The case has seen the involvement of the Ministry of Police’s Criminal Science Institute which is working with the provincial Police Department’s investigation.

Engineer Le Van Tach, who in May exposed technical flaws in Toyota Motor Vietnam vehicles, said the explosion could stem from the motorcycle’s fuel tank, while many other motorcycle engineers said the main cause was due to an electrical error or fuel leakage.

Colonel Nguyen Cong Nghiep, vice head of the Bac Ninh Police Department, said the case was very complicated and there was no trace of explosive at the site of the accident. “It is too early to draw any conclusions,” he said.

Vietnam Association for Consumers’ Benefit Protection representative Vuong Ngoc Tuan told VIR the case remained under investigation. “If the explosion stemmed from the motorcycle’s operation and details, HVN must take responsibility,” Tuan said.

Over the past years, there have been many cases involving motorcycles catching fire, but this is the first death reported. In related news, a Honda AirBlade motorcycle driven by an 18-year-old woman in Hanoi’s Ha Dong district burst into fire last week. The woman was not hurt. The motorbike was reportedly bought in 2010.

HVN’s motorcycles currently occupy about 50 per cent of Vietnam’s motorbike market. Its rivals include Suzuki, SYM and Piaggio.