American Honda Motor Co. identified a manufacturing issue affecting the 2023 model year Passport and Ridgeline. As it happens, the inner ball joint housing may have been fastened below the correct torque specification, which may result in detachment from the steering rack while driving.
245 vehicles were produced with the suspect steering gearbox assemblies, which were supplied by NSK Steering Systems Americas of Tennessee. The part number of said assembly is 53400-T6Z-A010-M1. But the question is, how did it happen?
Documents published by the federal watchdog reveal that Honda Alabama plant workers identified three vehicles with steering problems in September 2023. The resulting investigation determined that a lack of maintenance to the steering gearbox workbench led to the steering gearbox being improperly secured to the workbench, therefore triggering an alarm during the tightening procedure.
The operator had inappropriately performed the procedure by applying the torque wrench to the torque analyzer instead of the part itself to subvert the alarm. Happily for them, Honda, and affected owners, the automaker hasn't received any warranty claims or customer reports related to this condition.
Dealers have already been instructed to replace the steering gearbox with a properly assembled unit. The supplier also made amends by repairing the steering gearbox workbench immediately after the aforementioned incident. NSK Steering Systems Americas also initiated pre-shift workbench inspections and improved training for the operators.
Photo: Honda
Owners of affected Ridgeline and Passport vehicles can look forward to recall notifications arriving via first-class mail on or about April 15. Suspect vehicles were assembled between September 21, 2023 and September 22, 2023. In the meantime, owners can enter the 17-character VIN on Honda's website to confirm whether their sport utility vehicles/trucks are included in this recall or not.
Both the Ridgeline and Passport use the J35Y6 naturally aspirated V6, a 3.5-liter mill with VTEC on the intake valves only. The J35Y8 of the Pilot, by comparison, is a double-overhead-cam design with Variable Timing Control rather than VTEC. Differences further include a 10-speed automatic for the Pilot compared to a 9-speed unit for the two-row sport utility vehicle and mid-sized pickup.
Advertised with a towing capacity of 5,000 pounds (2,268 kilograms), the 2024 Honda Passport comes with iVTM4 all-wheel drive as standard. Pricing kicks off at $41,900 (excluding the destination charge), with the off-road-oriented TrailSport starting at $44,500. The poshest grade available to configure for MY24 is the $47,970 Black Edition.
The Ridgeline can also handle 5,000 pounds. Marginally more affordable at $39,750 for the entry-level Sport grade, the unibody truck sold 52,001 units last year in the United States of America. By comparison, the Ford Maverick clocked 94,058 units, of which the Atkinson-cycle hybrid accounted for 52,361 deliveries. The Hyundai Tucson-based Santa Cruz lags behind the Maverick with a meager 36,675 sales to its name.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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