Honda is recalling 245 Passport and Ridgeline models built over two days last year because they have an inner ball joint housing that could detach.
The manufacturer states that due to a lack of maintenance at a steering gearbox workbench, a steering gearbox was improperly secured to the workbench, thus triggering an alarm. When this alarm went off, the operator inadvertently used a torque wrench on the torque analyzer rather than the part itself.
This error means the inner ball joint housing could detach from the steering rack and impact the ability to steer the vehicle, leading to an increased risk of a crash or injury. All impacted Passport and Ridgeline models were manufactured between September 21 and September 22, 2023. Honda estimates that 1% of the 245 vehicles involved in the recall likely suffer from the issue.
Honda notified owners of the recall on March 8 and will contact owners by mail from April 15. Owners will be asked to take their vehicle to an authorized Honda dealer to have the steering gearbox inspected. If it is found to be faulty, dealers will replace the part with one assembled properly. The supplier responsible for the error has initiated pre-shift workbench inspections and improved operator training to avoid it happening in the future.
Read: 250,000 Honda Passports And Insights Under Investigation For Phantom Braking
This is not the first recall that Honda has initiated in the U.S. this year. In February, the carmaker announced a wide-reaching recall impacting 750,144 vehicles after it discovered that the airbags of select Honda and Acura models could deploy even if not necessary. Among the vehicles involved in that recall were the Accord, Accord Hybrid, Civic, Civic Type R, CR-V, Fit, HR-V, Insight, and both the Passport and Ridgeline. The Acura MDX, RDX, and TLX were also involved in the recall.
