The Fit EV was initially revealed last year at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, along with the information that US customers will be able to lease the 2013-model-year car, which has a range of about 76 miles on electric power, beginning in the summer of 2012.

Sadly, Honda has no plans to ever offer the car for sale to the general public.

Sometime later this year, the city of Torrance will also be receiving a Honda plug-in hybrid for demonstration purposes, though that will likely be a mid-size sedan, since that’s the platform the automaker’s existing plug-in hybrid drivetrain has been engineered to fit.

Enjoy.

This recall involves the recall of 310,773 Honda Pilot SUVs from model year 2009 through 2011, because of a defect in the safety belts. Specifically, says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the stitching that holds the front lap belts together may be either incomplete or missing. Either of these things could cause the belt to become detached, which could be extraordinarily dangerous if the vehicle was to crash.

The recall will begin around the 3rd of October, and will involve dealer-performed inspection of the seat belts in question, and replacing them if necessary.

Owners of Honda Pilots from the affected model years can call either the NHTSA vehicle safety hotline at (888) 327-4236 or Honda at (800) 999-1009.

Earlier today, the auto safety regulation organization said that it had agreed to investigate a complaint that came out of a fatal crash in July, 2005.

In that incident, a motorist operating a 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid said that she was driving over the “rumble strips” on the side of a freeway, when she attempted to brake. However, instead of her car slowing down, she said, it sped up uncontrollably and crossed into the oncoming lane. The accident that resulted left her passenger dead, the driver herself disabled, and also injured the occupants of two other vehicles, according to the NHTSA website.

The agency says that it will investigate the driver’s claim before any more formal probe is begun.

The driver in question used NSTSA’s own crash database to demonstrate that there were twenty-two other complaints from other drivers or owners about incidents with Honda Accord and Civic hybrids that she felt were similar to her own. In her petition, she said those other incidents were also related to inadequate braking performance on uneven road surfaces.

Honda says it’s too early to comment on any specific allegations, but did state that the braking system in all of its hybrid systems is the same one found in gas-powered Hondas.

The actual car will be on sale in Japan this fall, and is expected in the United States next year. The Japanese price will be around $18,600, which is roughly $3,500 less than the current “cheapest hybrid,” the Honda Insight, and about $4,600 more expensive than the gasoline-engine Fit. While pricing in Japan doesn’t typically match pricing in the U.S., if Honda sticks with their strategy, the American version will probably have a base MSRP of about $17,000.

Honda is withholding the hybrid Fit’s specs until the Paris Motor Show, which runs from September 30 to October 17, but experts agree that it’s probably going to have better fuel economy than the gasoline-only Honda Fit, which makes 28 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on open highway, and many anticipate it will come in second behind the Toyota Prius as the second most fuel efficient hybrid on the market.

2011 Honda Fit Hybrid | Source: HybridCars.com | Click to Enlarge

The recall is limited to Elements that rolled off the assembly line between April 1 and June 25, 2010, and is related to a cable meant to connect the shift lever and transmission. During production, the cable was not correctly attached to the shift lever bracket. Because of this, the gear shift may not function as it’s supposed to, including potentially leaving motorists unable to shift gears.

The issue may also cause the ignition key to become stuck, making it impossible for Honda Element owners to lock their cars if they need to leave the vehicles to get help.

Honda has begun making some repairs, but will expand the recall by sending notices to all affected owners by next week.

The survey, which was conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, rated Honda, as well as Ford, Nissan, Chevrolet, Toyota, Hyundai and Chrysler. 1,700 consumers, representing a nationally representative sample of adults with at least one vehicle in their household, were interviewed via phone calls, and asked to share their perceptions of customer service and quality commitment.

Honda scored at the top – overwhelmingly so – in both categories, scoring 71% and 73% respectively, with Ford and Nissan in the second and third positions. In fifth place (surprisingly high, considering the woes the Japanese automaker has been going through) was Toyota, with Hyundai and Chrysler trailing the others by a large margin.

Here’s an image of the actual survey results: