2016 Civic engine recall - piston pin snap ring issue affecting some VINs

[Keith]

Honda would not be where it is today if that was true. Reliability and engineering is what built this company.

I agree. This isn't an engineering issue, it's an assembly issue and I'd guess the quality assurance dept. along with the assembler(s) involved are going to, at least, receive a written reprimand in their employee files. I'm not trying to come across as an apologizer for Honda but I'd say their engineering end is very good. The best engineering in the world isn't going to help you if it's not assembled correctly though.

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[dick w]

I agree. This isn't an engineering issue, it's an assembly issue and I'd guess the quality assurance dept. along with the assembler(s) involved are going to, at least, receive a written reprimand in their employee files.

I was watching some automobile factory porn last week, in this case a Porsche engine plant assembling V8s for Panameras. They showed, specifically, a piston getting its connecting rod, pin, and snap rings (or however Porsche fixes the piston pin). The technician put the piston and connecting rod in a tool. Then he took out the finished assembly and put it back in the carrier tray. The technician never touched, or even saw, the pin or snap rings. If Porsche is doing all that with an automated tool for their low volume engines, permit me to doubt any assembler(s) at Honda got their hands slapped over this.

 

[brianric]

People are getting way too worked up about this, especially considering how little we know. Is it an inconvenience? Sure. Would I try to return my car / request they double my warranty / start writing nasty emails? Probably not.

Most likely what's going to happen is they're going to inspect the assembly using a minimally invasive procedure which involves dropping the pan and using a scope. If this bothers you, sell your car now and buy a bicycle because a timing belt change requires a whole lot more work and risk than that. If the engine is found to be faulty, most likely they'll just order a new short or long block and swap motors. The time it takes to do a full tear down and rebuild at the dealer level is likely cost prohibitive, and the motors will just be sent back to the factory where they'll be refurbished. An engine out is NOT a big ordeal. Most high end cars (Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, etc) actually require you to remove the engine for any serious work. If you've ever seen how complex the mechanics on a 911 are and how little space you have to work on them, you'd understand that taking a block out of a Civic is a walk in the park.

So everyone just relax a bit and at least wait to see what the story is before you start your crusade.

There is no timing belt, Honda is using timing chains, good for the life of the car.

 

[brianric]

I have an upcoming colonoscopy...now that's invasive lol.

I've had seven of them, all without anesthesia.

 

[Keith]

without anesthesia.

..........NOPE;-).

 

[Keith]

well I have a bad cold and housebound so I'm doing what i can to entertain myself. dick w you gave me the idea to educate myself about how the pistons/con rods are assembled on an automated line. I came across this on YouTube and found it very interesting. It's not Honda but probably a similar process.

 

[Keith]

Watching this gave me another idea. Pistons are directional so it could be the snap-ring issue is limited to one side of the piston only.

 

[dick w]

Watching this gave me another idea. Pistons are directional so it could be the snap-ring issue is limited to one side of the piston only.

Don't think the pin or snap rings are directional. If limited to one side, likely a result of a tool/automation/machine vision/programming problem on one side. Earlier on this page, there was discussion of engineering vs. assembly as though they were different domains. Honda probably has as many engineers in production engineering--designing and building the tools, processes, techniques of assembly, test, and inspection--as in product design engineering.

 

[Keith]

The pistons are directional and must be installed front to rear in relation to the engine. The clip installation is two different operations of the assembly. One clip is installed at the beginning, same side every piston. The pistons are heated by those plumbing pieces which attach to the larger, insulated heat manifold. This expands the aluminum and aids in the steel wrist pin installation which is a very tight fit. It then looks like further down the line the remaining clip is installed. What I'm saying is the snap ring installation looks to be done by two different machines. One for the first and another for the second.

 

[dick w]

What I'm saying is the snap ring installation looks to be done by two different machines. One for the first and another for the second.

And what I said was that if this problem has a sided-ness, it was because of sided-ness of the tooling, not because of sided-ness of the pistons. We are agreeing.

 

[bills]

On end-of-month Sat Jan 30th 9:00pm, 1 hour after closing, I purchased a 2016 Civic EX-L 1.5T but initially the salesman wanted to sell me the Civic 2.0l EX model which has the piston ring stop-sale/recall issue. He never mentioned the 2.0l stop-sale/recall as I just called Honda to check on the VIN as I took a photo of the sticker. The dealer really didn't want to sell me the 1.5T as they told me another customer was interested in the 1.5T which I eventually purchased. On a separate good note, I have a 2007 Civic with 205,000 miles with no issues with only basic maintenance and never changing the transmission fluid. I'm on these threads to get a better understanding on the CVT, need to change fluid at ~50k miles, and saw this thread on the 2.0L recall and wanted to share my story.

 

[RDMerBC]

Honda would not be where it is today if that was true. Reliability and engineering is what built this company.

Yup. Have to agree with this, as do the stats.

Honda is well out in front of several of the well known "luxury marques" for reliability and incidence of repair.

 

[Sharky]

Called my insurance to add rental car provision just in case

 

[My2016Civic]

Called my insurance to add rental car provision just in case

I would hope that Honda will provide a loaner or rental for the recall-affected vehicle owners while the vehicle is being inspected and/or repaired.

I'm not sure about Honda, but with my previous vehicles the dealership (non-Honda) always provided a loaner/rental for any repairs requiring an extended stay while the vehicle was still under the manufacturer warranty.

Does anyone know for sure? It probably varies by state/dealership.. I'll be calling mine to find out.

 

[lja547]

I would hope that Honda will provide a loaner or rental for the recall-affected vehicle owners while the vehicle is being inspected and/or repaired.

I'm not sure about Honda, but with my previous vehicles the dealership (non-Honda) always provided a loaner/rental for any repairs requiring an extended stay while the vehicle was still under the manufacturer warranty.

Does anyone know for sure? It probably varies by state/dealership.. I'll be calling mine to find out.

Right now that is exactly what I have . My dealership towed my car back to the dealership and I am on a rental...

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