Safety Recall X6J: Body Welds Missing – 2019-2020 Honda Pilot & 2019 Passport

October 31, 2019 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V784000

Incomplete Body Welding

In the event of a crash, incomplete body welding may provide inadequate protection to occupants, increasing the risk of an injury.

 

NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V784

Manufacturer Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)

Components STRUCTURE

Potential Number of Units Affected 10

 

Summary

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Pilot and 2019 Passport vehicles. The front frame left and right side upper members may not have been welded completely to the unibody. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 208, “Occupant Crash Protection” and 219, “Windshield Zone Intrusion.”

 

Remedy

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle for missing welds, free of charge. If the vehicle is identified as missing welds, the dealer will offer to repurchase the vehicle or provide a similar replacement vehicle. Owner notification began November 6 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda’s number for this recall is X6J.

 

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

 

Check if your Honda has a Recall

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A19-113
November 1, 2019
Version 1

 

Safety Recall: Body Welds Missing

 

AFFECTED VEHICLES

 

A very limited number of 2019 Passport and 2019-20 Pilot vehicles potentially were manufactured with missing body welds. If a vehicle with missing welds is involved in a crash, the body may not function as designed to protect the occupants, leading to an increased potential for injury or death.

If you do an iN VIN status inquiry, and this bulletin appears as an open campaign, contact your DPSM for assistance. Do not return the vehicle to the customer until it has been inspected by American Honda.

END

 

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For Immediate Release

 

Statement by American Honda Regarding Missing Welds Recall: 2019-2020 Honda

Pilot and 2019 Honda Passport 

 

• 10 vehicles are affected in the United States; all have now been inspected under the recall
• No further customer notification needed or planned
• No reports of related crashes or injuries; issue discovered during factory inspection

 

TORRANCE, Calif. – Nov. 8, 2019 – American Honda will voluntarily recall ten model-year 2019-2020 Honda Pilot and 2019 Passport vehicles in the United States to address missing metal welds in the front upper frame members. Each of these vehicles was inspected prior to this recall announcement. Only three affected vehicles, all 2019 Pilots, were delivered to customers prior to the discovery of this issue, and each of those was inspected and appropriate welds were found with no further action required. The remaining seven vehicles were in dealer inventory, and two vehicles still in dealer inventory were discovered with missing welds. Those vehicles will be replaced with new vehicles, for free.

This recall was precipitated by an error introduced into the programming of a robotic welder, deactivating certain required spot welds on the front upper frame members for the first vehicle passing through the welder after it was tested and reactivated. This error occurred multiple times over several weeks before its discovery at the factory. A vehicle without these spot welds may not meet Honda standards for front crash performance if a crash were to occur, increasing the risk of injury to occupants. Additionally, vehicles missing these welds may not comply with federal regulations (FMVSS 208 and 219).

Honda has received no reports of crashes or injuries related to this issue.

As noted above, all affected vehicles were inspected prior to this recall announcement. Thus, Honda does not plan mailed notification for this recall. Owners of these models can confirm their vehicles’ recall status by visiting www.recalls.honda.com or by calling (888) 234-2138.

 

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DEFECT INFORMATION REPORT

 

573.6(c)(1)

Name of manufacturer:

Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, LLC

 

Manufacturer’s agent:

John Turley
American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
1919 Torrance Blvd.
Torrance , CA 90501-2746

 

573.6(c)(2)

Identification of potentially affected vehicles:

 

 

Description of the basis for the determination of the recall population:

The recall population was determined based on manufacturing records. The manufacturing range reflects all vehicles that potentially could experience the problem.

 

Description of how the vehicles being recalled differ from similar vehicles not included in the recall:

Manufacturing records identified certain production periods during which improper welding processes may have occurred. There is 100% traceability between the production periods when improper welding processes may have occurred and the VIN, such that similar vehicles not included in the recall were not affected by the improper welding processes.

573.6(c)(3)

Total number of potentially affected vehicles: 10

573.6(c)(4)

Percentage of affected vehicles that contain the defect: 60%

573.6(c)(5)

Defect description:

The front frame left-side and right-side upper members on affected vehicles may not have been completely welded to the unibody. Incomplete body welding may adversely affect occupant crash protection, increasing the risk of injury. Affected vehicles may not comply with the requirements of FMVSS 208 Occupant crash protection and/or FMVSS 219 Windshield zone intrusion.

 

573.6(c)(6)

Chronology:

October 14, 2019

A vehicle on the production line was identified as missing welds on the front frame left-side and right-side upper members.  Honda immediately launched an investigation.

 

October 15-17, 2019

The investigation suspected that the missing welds were related to trial testing of a reconfigured production line.  Similar vehicles at the manufacturing plant were inspected and an additional two units were identified as missing welds.

 

October 18-19, 2019

As a confirmatory check, all similar vehicles at the manufacturing plant were inspected for missing welds.  No other vehicles were identified.

 

October 20, 2019

Honda confirmed that certain welding stations on the production line contained inappropriate legacy programming.  Honda determined that at the conclusion of the most recent round of trial testing, the restart of mass production created a unique circumstance that triggered the execution of the inappropriate legacy programming.  The programming deliberately skipped some welds on the first vehicle on the restarted production line.  Because there were prior rounds of trial testing, Honda believes it possible that the first vehicle produced after those rounds of testing were completed could be similarly affected.

 

October 30, 2019

Honda determined that a defect related to motor vehicle safety existed and decided to conduct a safety recall.

As of October 30, 2019, Honda has not received any warranty claims or field reports, nor any reports of injuries related to this issue.

 

573.6(c)(8)

Program for remedying the defect:

Registered owners of all affected vehicles will be contacted by mail (and other contact methods if available) and asked to take their vehicle to a Honda automobile dealer.  If the vehicle is identified as missing some welds, the dealer will offer to repurchase the vehicle or provide a similar replacement vehicle.

Because the new vehicle limited warranty on all affected vehicles would have provided a free repair for the problem addressed by this recall, without any payment by the owner, reimbursement for pre-notification repairs will not be offered.

 

The estimated date to start notification to dealers: November 1, 2019

The estimated date to start notifications to owners: December 13, 2019

 

573.6(c)(10)

Representative copies of all notices, bulletins and other communications:

A copy of the dealer service bulletin, the final customer notification letter and other dealer communication will be submitted to your office as soon as possible.

A draft of the owner notification letter will be submitted to your office as soon as possible.

 

573.6(c)(11)

Manufacturer’s campaign number: X6J

 

 

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Next Unread Message View Message
DATE: November 1, 2019
TO: All Honda Sales, Service, & Parts Managers, and Personnel
FROM: Brad Ortloff, Manager of Auto Campaigns and Recalls
Re: Stop Sale/Safety Recall: 2019 Passport and 2019-2020 Pilot Body Welds Missing
On October 31, 2019, American Honda notified NHTSA of a stop sale and safety recall for ten 2019 Passport
and 2019-2020 Pilot vehicles that may be missing body welds. If a vehicle with missing welds is
involved in a crash, the body may not function as designed to protect the occupants, leading to an
increased potential for injury or death. Refer to your eResponsibility report or do an iN VIN status inquiry to
determine which units in your inventory are affected.
Failure to arrange inspection of a vehicle as necessary prior to sale may subject your dealership to
claims or lawsuits.
BACKGROUND
Due to a weld robot programming error, vehicles potentially were manufactured with missing body
welds.
REPAIR
If you do an iN VIN status inquiry, and this bulletin appears as an open campaign, contact your DPSM for
assistance. Do not return the vehicle to the customer until it has been inspected by an American Honda
representative.
PARTS
There are no parts needed for this campaign.
TOOLS
There are no special tools needed for this campaign.
SERVICE BULLETIN
Service bulletin 19-113, Safety Recall: Body Welds Missing, has been posted to the Service Information
System (SIS) as of November 1, 2019.
CUSTOMER NOTIFICATION
American Honda expects to complete customer notification by early December 2019.
As always, be sure to do an iN VIN status inquiry for all vehicles passing through your dealership to
determine eligibility for any open campaigns.
Sent on 11 01 2019 Expires on 01 29 2020
From Brad Ortloff, Manager of Auto Campaigns and Recalls
Subject Stop Sale/Safety Recall: 2019 Passport and 2019-2020 Pilot Body Welds Missing
INTERACTIVE NETWORK
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Page 1 of 1