Honda has issued a recall affecting 245 Passport and Ridgeline models manufactured over a two-day period last year due to a potential issue with the inner ball joint housing. The manufacturer attributes this problem to a maintenance oversight at a steering gearbox workbench, where a steering gearbox was improperly secured, triggering an alarm. Subsequently, the operator mistakenly used a torque wrench on the torque analyzer instead of the intended part.
This error poses the risk of the inner ball joint housing detaching from the steering rack, which could compromise the vehicle's steering ability, heightening the likelihood of a crash or injury. The affected Passport and Ridgeline models were produced between September 21 and September 22, 2023. Honda estimates that approximately 1% of the 245 vehicles subject to the recall may experience this issue.
Honda initiated notifications to affected owners on March 8, with plans to contact them via mail starting April 15. Owners will be requested to bring their vehicles to an authorized Honda dealer for inspection of the steering gearbox. If deemed faulty, dealers will replace the part with one correctly assembled. The supplier responsible for the oversight has implemented pre-shift workbench inspections and enhanced operator training to prevent similar incidents in the future.
This recall isn't the sole one Honda has issued in the U.S. this year. In February, the automaker announced a sweeping recall impacting 750,144 vehicles after discovering a potential defect with the airbags in select Honda and Acura models, which could deploy unnecessarily. The affected vehicles included the Accord, Accord Hybrid, Civic, Civic Type R, CR-V, Fit, HR-V, Insight, as well as the Passport and Ridgeline. Additionally, the Acura MDX, RDX, and TLX were part of this recall.