Photo: Honda
Honda, which often scores high in reliability and quality rankings, has announced a tremendous recall for a problem that may leave some customers perplexed. As the headline implies, the hood is prone to open while driving, hitting the windshield or flying off altogether.
The Japanese automaker became aware of this condition five years ago (!!!) when engineers found stress fractures on the hood latch striker of a Ridgeline. With nothing more than adhesive on the striker, the vehicle passed all the durability requirements, and Honda decided to call it a day.
Come April 2017, the company started investigating hood vibrations, noises, and loose hoods after receiving non-safety-related market concerns. Fast forward to December 2017, and technical service bulletin 17-083 was issued to address these problems by adjusting the hood alignment. But clearly, that wasn’t enough. Honda found corrosion in the engine compartment of a Passport during corrosion testing in February 2019, highlighting salt water intrusion due to gaps between the hood and front grille.
Even with this knowledge, Honda implemented checks and adjustments to ensure the right specifications for the hood latch and front seal. Another investigation was initiated in September 2019 after receiving reports of hood vibrations and noises due to stress in the aforementioned striker.
The Japanese automaker then confirmed the first “complete hood latch striker separation in the field” in March 2021. On November 19th, when Honda determined that a safety recall is necessary, the company was aware of 116 warrants claims and no reports of crashes related to this issue.
Submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on November 29th, the report attached at the end of this story highlights 724,826 vehicles produced from 2016 through the 2020 model year. Affected nameplates include the Passport two-row crossover, Pilot three-row crossover, and the Ridgeline workhorse with Pilot underpinnings.
Dealers have been instructed to repair the hood and install a striker support plate or to completely replace the hood at no cost to the customer. Known owners will be notified of the recall on January 17th by first-class mail.
Come April 2017, the company started investigating hood vibrations, noises, and loose hoods after receiving non-safety-related market concerns. Fast forward to December 2017, and technical service bulletin 17-083 was issued to address these problems by adjusting the hood alignment. But clearly, that wasn’t enough. Honda found corrosion in the engine compartment of a Passport during corrosion testing in February 2019, highlighting salt water intrusion due to gaps between the hood and front grille.
Even with this knowledge, Honda implemented checks and adjustments to ensure the right specifications for the hood latch and front seal. Another investigation was initiated in September 2019 after receiving reports of hood vibrations and noises due to stress in the aforementioned striker.
The Japanese automaker then confirmed the first “complete hood latch striker separation in the field” in March 2021. On November 19th, when Honda determined that a safety recall is necessary, the company was aware of 116 warrants claims and no reports of crashes related to this issue.
Submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on November 29th, the report attached at the end of this story highlights 724,826 vehicles produced from 2016 through the 2020 model year. Affected nameplates include the Passport two-row crossover, Pilot three-row crossover, and the Ridgeline workhorse with Pilot underpinnings.
Dealers have been instructed to repair the hood and install a striker support plate or to completely replace the hood at no cost to the customer. Known owners will be notified of the recall on January 17th by first-class mail.
Google News