2020 Honda CRF1100D4

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) on August 10th, 2020 to investigate 26 reports of stalling due to clogged fuel filters on model year (MY) 2018 - 2020 Honda African Twin (CRF 1000 - 1100) motorcycles.Many of the owners allege the subject vehicle would suddenly stall while riding. Although the stalling speeds varied, most consumers allege the stalling occurred at highway speeds. This stalling condition is caused by clogged fuel filters. The subject vehicle fuel filters become contaminated with zinc-oxide (corrosion). The corrosion is coming from the inside of the fuel tank, along the end seam of a joint weld. The corrosion clogs the fuel filter, restricts fuel flow to the engine, and subsequently causes a sudden engine stall.During complainant interviews, ODI learned the bikes can sometimes be restarted after the initial stall. However, several consumers described this restart as causing a false sense of security.After restarting the bike and attempting to accelerate/merge into traffic, the bike quickly stalls again. This time the rider is placed in the middle of traffic, potentially causing a crash or risk of injury.On October 9, 2020, ODI received Honda?s Information Request (IR) response and learned that Honda was aware of 36 complaints, 87 field reports and 83 warranty claims of stalling related to clogged fuel filters. There were no claims of crashes or property damage associated with the alleged defect on the subject motorcycles. Additionally, Honda initiated three different modifications or changes to the fuel tank during production. On March 11, 2020, Honda released a customer satisfaction campaign to remove the zinc oxide that can contaminate the fuel pump filter, causing reduction of fuel flow. The part numbers for the fuel tank did not change after the implementation of the zinc oxide removal process. The process improvement was a running-change and no parts were withdrawn from production. On October 5, 2020 Honda added a new maximum contamination specification. This new specification was initiated to limit the contamination from the tank supplier. The tank supplier improved the cleaning process to meet the low contamination limit.Discussions and analysis of the data between ODI and Honda resulted in the manufacturer recalling certain 2018-2019 Africa Twin Adventure Sports (CRF1000L) and 2020 Africa Twin Adventure Sports (CRF1100L) motorcycles.Contaminants inside the fuel tank may cause the fuel filter to clog, resulting in an engine stall, and increasing the risk of a crash.ODI is closing this PE with Honda?s voluntary safety recall 20V-797. With the recall action taken by Honda, this investigation is closed, as further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist on other models or MY vehicles outside of the recall scope. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.

WHEN GARAGING, I HAVE TO ROLL BACK AND MOVE FORWARD TO SQUARE OFF. BEING AN AUTOMATIC, YOU HIT A SWITCH TO CHANGE N TO D. I HIT N, ROLLED BACK, HIT D AND RELEASED THE BRAKE. THE BIKE SHOT FORWARD WITH NO THROTTLE INPUT 10 - 15 FT HITTING A ROCK WALL AND THROWING ME AGAINST MY CAR PINNING ME. NO ONE HEARD ME HOLLER FOR HELP. I HELD THE BRAKE WHILE REACHING OVER WITH MY LEFT HAND AND HIT THE KILL SWITCH BEFORE HEAVING THE BIKE OFF ME. I WAS REALLY SHAKEN UP. THE INSURANCE CO. TOTALED THE BIKE. IT HAD HAPPENED TO MY WIFE TOO A MONTH AFTER GETTING THE BIKE. LUCKILY SHE WAS IN AN OPEN AREA. IT HAS HAPPENED TO OTHERS AS INDICATED ON THE HONDA AFRICA TWIN FORUM.

NHTSA ID

11389349

Incident

Oct 18, 2020

Mileage

3,200 mi

ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, THE ENGINE CUT OUT. SEVERAL TIMES WHILE I OPEN THE THROTTLE ALL THE WAY QUICKLY TO PASS ON A TWO LANE HIGHWAY. SEVERAL TIMES WHEN I'M CRUISING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH, IT JUST STARTED MISSING. VERY DANGEROUS WHEN YOUR SPEED GOES FROM 70 TO 40 IN SECONDS ON THE FREEWAY.

NHTSA ID

11376833

Incident

Nov 9, 2020

Mileage

180 mi

IMPROPER FUEL TANK WELDS PLUGGED THE FUEL FILTER WITH DEBRIS. DISCOVERED THE ZINC FLAKES UPON INSPECTION OF THE FUEL TANK. 425 MILES ON THE MOTORCYCLE AND LESS THAN 10 GALLONS OF GAS THROUGH THE TANK. UNLIKE AUTOMOBILES, WHEN A MOTORCYCLE FUEL SYSTEM IS COMPROMISED, A LOSS OF POWER CAN BE CATASTROPHIC TO THE RIDER. UNWILLING TO RISK MY SAFETY, INCLUDING DEATH, I WAS PROACTIVE IN MY INVESTIGATION OF THIS OWNER AND DEALER KNOWN ISSUE, AND STARTED MY OWN MAINTENANCE PLAN TO PREVENT AN UNINTENTIONAL DANGEROUS LOSS OF POWER, WHICH MIGHT OCCUR ON THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM AT 70 MPH. SEE ATTACHED PHOTOS OF A NEW HONDA MOTORCYCLE FUEL SYSTEM.

NHTSA ID

11352086

Incident

Jul 30, 2020

Mileage

425 mi

VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 70 MILES AN HOUR, IN TRAFFIC, WHEN ENGINE SUDDENLY STOPPED RECEIVING ADEQUATE FUEL. REVS WERE LIMITED TO 4K AND INCOMING TRAFFIC BEHIND ME NEARLY CAUSED A COLLISION, DUE TO MY SUDDEN LOSS OF SPEED WITHOUT BRAKE LIGHTS. UPON TAKING TO SHOP, A WHITE PASTE-LIKE SUBSTANCE WAS FOUND COVERING SOME OF THE KEY WELDS INSIDE THE GAS TANK. THIS SUBSTANCE FLAKES OFF AND CLOGS THE FUEL FILTER. IN MY CASE, THIS HAPPENED WITHIN THE FIRST 4,000 MILES. THIS APPEARS TO BE A MANUFACTURING ERROR IN WHICH THE HEAT OF WELDING CAUSES A SPECIAL GAS TANK LINING TO CORRODE AND FLAKE OFF. UNLESS PROACTIVE MEASURES ARE TAKEN BY THE CUSTOMER BEFOREHAND - IDEALLY AT OR NEAR THE TIME OF PURCHASE - THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF THIS BIKE MAKES IT *UNSAFE TO RIDE*, AS THIS SITUATION CAN OCCUR AT ANY MOMENT AND IS BEYOND CONTROL OF THE RIDER. PREVENTION AND/OR REPAIR FOR THIS DEFECT REQUIRES AN UNDUE AMOUNT OF INVESTMENT ON THE PART OF THE OWNER IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN THEIR OWN SAFETY. THE ATTACHED IMAGE IS TAKEN FROM THE FUEL FILTER HOLE ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE GAS TANK, AND SHOWS THE INNER SURFACE OF THE TANK ITSELF. IN THE IMAGE YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE THEY WHITE "PASTE-LIKE" SUBSTANCE SURROUNDING THE TANK'S WELDS, AND SEE HOW IT IS STREAMING OFF DUE TO EXPOSURE TO GASOLINE. THE NHTSA SHOULD CONSIDER OFFICIALLY INVESTIGATING THIS PROBLEM AS IT IS CLEARLY DUE TO INSUFFICIENT MANUFACTURING PROCEDURES, AND BUYERS SHOULD CONSIDER THEIR OWN SAFETY BEFORE PURCHASING THIS MOTORCYCLE. UNTIL THIS SITUATION IS RESOLVED VIA RECALL AND CORRECTION OF MANUFACTURING PROCEDURES, THIS MOTORCYCLE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED UNSAFE.

NHTSA ID

11352076

Incident

Jul 17, 2020

Mileage

4,000 mi

THERE IS A CORROSION OR SOME OTHER TYPE OF DETERIORATION OF THE FUEL TANK WELDS INSIDE THE TANK THAT CAUSE A PARTICLE BUILD UP THAT CLOGS THE FUEL PUMP AND CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO LOSE POWER AND STALL. THE POWER LOSS HAPPENS PERIODICALLY. HONDA HAS FLUSHED THE FUEL TANK AND REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP HOWEVER THE PARTICLES IN THE FUEL TANK ARE STILL PRESENT. PICTURES ARE OF BEFORE HONDA FLUSHING TANK AND AFTER.

NHTSA ID

11343794

Incident

Jul 15, 2020

Mileage

2,500 mi

THE MOTORCYCLE WILL FOR NO KNOWN REASON EXHIBIT A FUEL DELIVERY ISSUE AND BOG THE ENGINE, AS IN, IT WILL NOT DELIVER ANY POWER TO THE ENGINE. THIS IS UNSAFE DURING HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND AT INTERSECTIONS WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO PROCEED WITH EXECUTING A MANEUVER.

NHTSA ID

11337739

Incident

Jul 3, 2020

Mileage

1,245 mi

THE VEHICLE WILL STOP ACCELERATING ON AN INCLINE, VERY DANGEROUS WHILE TRYING TO PASS SLOWER MOVING VEHICLES IN THE MOUNTAINS. THE ISSUE WOULD TAKE PLACE BETWEEN SPEEDS OF 25MPH-70MPH. THE MOTORCYCLE WILL KILL SOMEONE IN THE WRONG SITUATION. PLEASE HELP TO STOP THE MANUFACTURER FROM PLACING UNSATISFACTORY VEHICLES ON THE ROAD.

NHTSA ID

11337202

Incident

Jun 26, 2020

Mileage

2,900 mi

ACTS AS IF RUNNING OUT OF FUEL. SEVERAL TIMES, STARTING AT 1000 MILES. NOW HAS ABOUT 3700 MILES. HAPPENS WHILE IN MOTION ON HIGHWAYS AND CITY STREETS. OCCURRED 4 TIMES OVER A PERIOD OF 3 WEEKS. LAST INSTANCE GOING ABOUT 60 MPH IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC. MOTORCYCLE IS NOW AT THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR. DEALER HAS ORDERED FUEL PUMP BASED ON PRESSURE READINGS, HAS YET TO LOOK INTO FUEL TANK.

NHTSA ID

11332003

Incident

Jun 21, 2020

Mileage

3,700 mi

"Newsletter - If the LCD screen is blank/inoperative and asterisks appear in place of the riding modes, perform the following test. • Inspect the number five (15 amp) audio fuse next to the battery in the main fuse box. • If failed, replace the fuse and disconnect the main multi pin connector from the Navi/audio unit. Power up the unit, and the fuse should not blow. You can also test with a known good Navi/audio unit. TechLine may be able to loan a known good Navi/audio unit if one is not available. • If the fuse does not fail, the original Navi/audio unit is internally shorted and will need to be replaced. " Newsletter - We have heard of customers riding with the cruise “ON” with no intention of actually using the cruise control function. These customers have noticed an issue where the cruise “ON” light in the dash will intermittently turn off on its own and not turn on again until the ignition key is turned off and back on. This will cause a P0504 error code to be stored for a brake switch malfunction. However, there is no actual malfunction of the switch. The rear brake pedal has a brake light switch and a cruise cancel switch. The problem is when both switches are activated for longer than 30 seconds while riding. Newsletter - When installing the NC750X/D accessory light bar (p/n 08A70-MJL-D30 or p/n 08A70-MGS-D30), ensure the front cowl stay holes are drilled in the correct position. The distance between the two mounting holes should be 37mm. If the mounting holes are less than 37mm, the front cowl stay (p/n 08A70-MJL-D30 or p/n 08A70-MGS-D30) will need to be replaced to install the accessory light bar. Newsletter - If the indicator warning light is on at all times and the motorcycle functions normally, you could have a DTC code P170D (shift sensor ground fault) due to the unit not having the quick shift option installed.