Honda CVT recall for 143k Civics

[administrator]

The silver lining is that they've discovered the issue before the 2016 Civic release, so 10th gen Civic CVTs shouldn't have these issues.

Statement by American Honda Regarding CVT Drive Pulley Shaft Recall: 2014-2015 Civic and 2015 Honda Fit

Oct 1, 2015 - TORRANCE, Calif.

Honda will voluntarily recall approximately 143,000 model-year 2014-2015 Civic and 2015 Fit vehicles in the United States to update the software that manages the continuously variable transmission (CVT), free of charge. Affected vehicles have CVT control software that is written to use high hydraulic pressure during certain CVT operation modes, which as a result may subject the drive pulley shaft to high stress. In addition, during manufacturing of the drive pulley shaft, some parts may have been produced at the low end of the hardness specification. If shafts with lower hardness are repeatedly subjected to the specific high hydraulic pressure modes, it may result in the shaft breaking during operation. If the drive pulley shaft breaks, the vehicle may lose acceleration or the front wheels may lock up while driving, increasing the risk of a crash. No crashes or injuries have been reported related to this issue, which was discovered through the warranty claim process in the United States.

Honda is announcing this recall to encourage each owner of an affected vehicle to take it to an authorized dealer as soon as they receive notification of this recall from Honda. Mailed notification to customers will begin in mid-October, 2015. Additionally, owners of these vehicles can determine if their vehicles require repair now by going to www.recalls.honda.com or by calling (888) 234-2138.

# # #

RECALL Subject : Transmission Software may Result in Pulley Damage

Report Receipt Date: SEP 15, 2015
NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V574000
Component(s): POWER TRAIN
Potential Number of Units Affected: 143,676
All Products Associated with this Recall

Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s)

HONDA CIVIC 2014-2015
HONDA FIT 2015

Details

Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)

SUMMARY:Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Civic vehicles manufactured January 16, 2014, to November 6, 2014 and 2015 Fit vehicles manufactured March 12, 2014, to May 12,2015. The software settings that control the transmission operation may result in damage to the transmission drive pulley shaft.

CONSEQUENCE:If the transmission drive pulley shaft is damaged, it may break, and the vehicle may lose acceleration or the front wheels may lock up while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

REMEDY:Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the transmission, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin October 16, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are JU2 (Civic) and JU3(Fit).

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.

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[G26okie]

Wow, front wheel lock up while driving? Yeah that wouldn't be so good. Great that they are taking care of this before the 10th gen.

 

[RobbJK88]

Awesome... guess i'll check and see if my 2014 coupe qualifies...

EDIT* Just checked... yep... going to have to take it in for a fix

 

[Tegster]

Glad they caught this before it got into the 10th gens. Coulda been some real bad PR if the 2016 models were also included in the recall notice.

So the remedy for the software is just updating it. They don't say how they're gonna replace the drive pulley shafts that don't have enough hardness though.

 

[PirelliPZero]

So the remedy for the software is just updating it. They don't say how they're gonna replace the drive pulley shafts that don't have enough hardness though.

The remedy for the entire issue is the software update. They're not going to be replacing any drive pulley shafts unless the CVT is having issues found to be related to drive pulley shaft damage. (Presumably this is what has happened that brought Honda's attention to it initially.) In that case it's just a regular warranty issue anyhow.

The shafts are all manufactured within specification. Some are at the lower end of the specification, and these would be the ones most likely to be damaged if the software update is not performed. But the issue does not originate with the shaft itself.

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