WASHINGTON, Jul 31, 2006 (AP Online via COMTEX News Network) --
A toll-free number listed in more than a million Honda owners' manuals was supposed to direct callers to a government hotline - not to another number where the conversation is probably about anything but auto safety.
Honda Motor Co. said it incorrectly published an 800 prefix, rather than an 888, on a toll-free vehicle safety telephone number in 1.2 million manuals for 2006 model year Honda and Acura vehicles and Honda motorcycles.
Owners who dial the 800 prefix hear a recorded message in which a woman's voice, speaking over a funky beat, urges them to call
1-800-918-TALK for "just 99 cents per minute."-