Honda Recalls 820K Vehicles in U.S.

Global Insight

October 5, 2012

On Thursday, Honda issued a fresh recall of another 820,789 vehicles over a headlight problem, reports the Detroit News. The recall covers 2002-2003 Civic sedans and 2004-2005 Pilot sport utility vehicles (SUVs) in the United States.

Honda says tension from the combination switch wiring harness to the electrical terminal for the low-beam headlight circuit can cause wear on the surface of the terminal, creating rust, which may cause the lights to fail. No crashes or injuries have been reported in connection with the problem. Dealers will inspect and replace the terminal harness and lighting switch if necessary.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has accepted Honda's explanation for not recalling 2003-2008 Element models—a low failure rate—after just 17 complaints following 300,000 vehicles sold. Honda submitted a confidential explanation to the NHTSA, saying the Element “reacts differently to the forces applied to it.”

The latest recall is the third pertaining to a headlight issue that has been bothering Honda since 2004, with the automaker having recalled more than 1.8 million vehicles with more than 400 reported failures since then. The recall was originally issued Aug. 31 but was not publicly disclosed by Honda because it was an amended recall.

The NHTSA said last month it was closing its investigation into failing headlights after Honda announced the expanded recall. The investigation was opened in April 2011 and has prompted the two recent recalls over the issue—this latest one and the one in March, when Honda recalled 554,000 vehicles covering 2002-2004 CR-Vs and 2003 Pilot SUVs.