Photo: Acura
Despite the hundreds of hours spent testing vehicles before they’re sold to the public, there are always some things that just can’t be planned for. For example, Acura is having to recall 14,078 of its Acura ILX sedan due to the potential risk of fire if a car is left parked for several hours with the engine idling and the low-beam headlights left on.
Just in case you’re wondering, doing so will result in excessive heat building up inside the headlight, which can cause the plastic lens to deform or worse. For most cars, it seems that this unlikely predicament will result in the headlight lens quality being diminished to the point that the driver’s visibility is reduced at night. In the most extreme circumstance, the headlight can even catch on fire.
Acura is only aware of the one instance of a fire occurring, but it says that the original headlight design does not allow for proper heat escape causing heat buildup inside the plastic headlight assembly. Affected vehicles include the 2013 ILX built from January 16, 2012 through March 1, 2013; the 2013 ILX Hybrid built from January 12, 2012 through February 7, 2013; the 2014 ILX built from May 2, 2013 through May 31, 2014; and the 2014 ILX Hybrid built from October 18, 2013 through February 19, 2014.
The remedy for this problem will be the replacement of both headlight assemblies, and the recall campaign is expected to begin on July 28. If you have questions, you can either contact Acura customer service at 1-800-862-2872 or by contacting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) either through the Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or by going to the www.safercar.gov website (the official recall notice from NHTSA is posted below)
For now though, we suggest that if you have to let your car idle for several hours, do so with the headlights off.
Acura is only aware of the one instance of a fire occurring, but it says that the original headlight design does not allow for proper heat escape causing heat buildup inside the plastic headlight assembly. Affected vehicles include the 2013 ILX built from January 16, 2012 through March 1, 2013; the 2013 ILX Hybrid built from January 12, 2012 through February 7, 2013; the 2014 ILX built from May 2, 2013 through May 31, 2014; and the 2014 ILX Hybrid built from October 18, 2013 through February 19, 2014.
The remedy for this problem will be the replacement of both headlight assemblies, and the recall campaign is expected to begin on July 28. If you have questions, you can either contact Acura customer service at 1-800-862-2872 or by contacting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) either through the Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or by going to the www.safercar.gov website (the official recall notice from NHTSA is posted below)
For now though, we suggest that if you have to let your car idle for several hours, do so with the headlights off.
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