The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has reported that dozens of 2003-2004 Honda CR-Vs have burst into flames in recent months due to improperly installed oil filters. Oil from the filters is reportedly leaking onto the vehicles' exhaust systems, rapidly igniting the SUVs. All of the incidents have occurred shortly after the models' first oil change. Although no injuries have been reported, most of the cars were destroyed by the fires. Many had logged under 10,000 miles. Over 140,000 CR-Vs were sold in 2003 alone.

Honda has notified dealers about the possible defect that has caused at least 27 of the SUVs to catch fire after getting their first oil changes. There have been no reports of injuries, although Honda has reported that one woman was injured when she was hit by a car after pulling her burning Honda to the side of a road. According to records filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Honda has received reports of 22 engine fires in 2003 CR-Vs and five in 2004 models.

The problem could be more widespread-- Honda has announced that there have been 164 warranty claims related to the issue. Around 140,000 Honda CR-Vs from the 2003 model year and 70,000 2004 models have been sold in the United States. The problem can be traced directly to oil changes-- when the oil filter is removed, part of the seal may adhere to the engine block. If the seal isn't removed before the new filter is put in, there is a risk of oil leakage.

Sally Greenberg of Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports has stated that, “The fact that a routine oil change could have such catastrophic results suggests "a dire and a dangerous situation that both the automaker and the auto safety agency (NHTSA) should have looked much more closely at.”

NHTSA's records relate the stories of drivers whose vehicles caught fire. Their names were blacked out:

• A woman driving on Braddock Road in Northern Virginia in January 2004 noticed smoke coming from under her 2003 CR-V. A passerby pulled up and told her it was on fire, so she swerved onto the shoulder, the electrical system shorted out and all the doors locked. She got out without injury.

• A North Carolina family driving to church one Sunday in May noticed smoke and had to rush to get their two small children unbuckled from safety seats before their 2004 CR-V went up in flames.

• A Georgia man coming home from a flea market stopped when he noticed smoke, tried to open his hood and "heard an explosion and the front end just burst into flames," according to records Honda supplied to NHTSA.

• Kay C. Brittain of Jacksonville, Florida, was driving to work from her first 5,000-mile oil change when she noticed black smoke in her rearview mirror. She pulled onto the median to turn and go back to the dealership, but a passing motorist shouted that her 2004 CR-V was on fire. A week later, the elderly parents of one of Brittain's co-workers avoided injury when their 2003 CR-V burst into flames.

All had recently had their oil changed for the first time. Honda recently warned its technicians about the need to be careful replacing oil filters in a regular newsletter mailed out to all 1,008 U.S. dealer service shops. Now the company is drafting a letter to the dealerships themselves, as well as preparing an article for a newsletter sent periodically to independent repair shops such as Jiffy Lube and Pep Boys. Honda also plans to change the language on the oil filter itself and its packaging, warning of the dangers of improper installation. There are no plans to send warnings to customers who might change the oil themselves.

The problem is believed to happen one of two ways: The O-ring gasket on the old oil filter sometimes sticks to the crankcase, and if the new filter is installed over it, oil can leak around it. Or, if the gasket on the new filter isn't lubricated properly, it might set incorrectly and allow oil to leak around it. Then it can spray onto the hot manifold and burn.