Honda Recalls 2012 CR-Vs and 2013 Acura ILX Sedans for Faulty Door Latch Affecting roughly 321,000 vehicles worldwide, a recall by Honda this week began with what appeared to be a far less serious problem, according to a report filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Front doors may not latch properly and could open while the vehicle is being driven or is in a crash, the automaker told N.H.T.S.A. The recall covers 314,000 CR-V crossovers from the 2012 model year and 7,200 Acura ILX sedans, which are based on the Honda Civic, from the 2013 model year. About 167,000 of the CR-Vs and 6,200 of the Acuras are in the United States. The malfunction occurs if the interior front door handle is being pulled while the manual or power-door lock is activated. The defect could cause a cable to loosen. Honda said in a news release it was not aware of any accidents or injuries. Customers will be notified of the recall through notices mailed in mid-August. Last December, the problem seemed to be less serious. Honda began investigating reports of the interior door handles on a CR-V not opening the door although the exterior handle functioned properly. In March and April, Honda used a new design to correct the problem at assembly plants in Japan and the United States. But toward the end of May, Honda received a report of a front door not being latched on a CR-V. That vehicle did not have the new design, a Honda spokeswoman, Alicia Jones, wrote in an e-mail, so it began another investigation. After evaluating eight claims of an unlatched front door on CR-Vs and "the potential for similar claims in the United States and other markets," Honda told the agency on July 18 that a recall was necessary. There are no reports of doors not being latched on the Acura ILX, but they are being recalled because they use the same door assembly. Here is one other recent safety action: The agency has opened an investigation into why eight bus manufacturers have not recalled vehicles with escape hatches that could be difficult to open in an emergency. In April, Specialty Manufacturing of Pineville, N.C., told N.H.T.S.A. that it was recalling about 15,000 escape hatches it sold to 13 busmakers because they required more effort to open than the government allowed. The company said that could hamper occupants" escape. But the safety agency said eight of those 13 manufacturers that bought the escape hatches had yet to inform their customers that the buses needed to be recalled. Only one manufacturer, Elkhart Coach of Elkhart, Ind., was identified. In a July 12 letter, the agency told Elkhart that it wanted "to remind you of your responsibilities under federal law."