2002 Honda VFR800

NHTSA opened Audit Query (AQ) 12-001 to determine whether Southern Honda Powersports (Southern Honda) of Chattanooga, Tennessee, had complied with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, as amended, 49 U.S.C. Chapter 301 (Safety Act) and its implementing regulations. The Safety Act requires, among other things, that a motor vehicle or equipment manufacturer notify its dealers of defects related to motor vehicle safety and non-compliances with federal motor vehicle safety standards.In turn, a dealer may not sell and deliver a new vehicle subject to a recall unless the recall remedy has been performed.(see 49 U.S.C. 30120(i); 49 C.F.R. 573.11)NHTSA issued an information request to Southern Honda on May 14, 2012 to which they responded on July 6, 2012.NHTSA?s inquiry led it to believe that Southern Honda had failed to complete the requirements of five recalls that required inspections and/or repairs of motorcycles prior to their sale or delivery.NHTSA believes that 329 motorcycles affected by recalls had not been inspected and/or repaired prior to their sale and delivery between 2007 and 2012.The agency is unaware of any deaths or injuries involving these vehicles.NHTSA concluded that it had a potential civil penalty claim against Southern Honda for violations of the Safety Act.Southern Honda denied any violations of the Safety Act.In order to settle this matter, Southern Honda agreed to pay a civil penalty in the amount of $125,000, to be paid in five annual installments.This AQ is closed.

ODI OPENED THIS INVESTIGATION AFTER RECEIVING THREE COMPLAINTS CONCERNING ALLEGED ENGINE STALLING AND/OR SUDDEN HEADLIGHT OUTAGES WHILE UNDERWAY.ODI ALSO FOUND NUMEROUS POSTINGS ON A WEB-BASED CHAT BOARD RELATED TO THE SUBJECT VEHICLE AND THESE ALLEGATIONS.FREQUENTLY, THE POSTING REFERENCED THE BLUE CONNECTOR JOINING THE MAIN HARNESS AND THE HEADLIGHT SUB-HARNESS.ODI HAS INSPECTED SUBJECT MOTORCYCLES AND ITS PEERS AND MET WITH THEIR OWNERS, DISCUSSED THIS MATTER WITH SUBJECT MOTORCYCLE DEALERS AND INDEPENDENT SERVICE PERSONNEL, AND REVIEWED HONDA'S RESPONSE TO OUR INFORMATION REQUEST.BASED ON THE INFORMATION GATHERED TO DATE, THE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT MOST FAILURES HAVE DEVELOPED SLOWLY OVER TIME WITH THE OPERATOR NOTINGDIFFICULTY STARTING THE MOTORCYCLE,AND A SMELL OF MELTING INSULATION, (NO FIRES ARE REPORTED).IN THE MAJORITY OF REPORTS, THE PROBLEM IS NOTED WHILE STARTING THE MOTORCYCLE.MANY REPORTS STATE THE ENGINE STALLED WHEN THE STARTER BUTTON WAS INITIALLY RELEASED. FOR THE HEADLIGHT PROBLEM, MANY OF THE CIRCUIT OVERLOAD REPORTS WERE DUE TO THE INSTALLATION OF AFTERMARKET ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT.CURRENTLY, NO DEFECT TREND HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED WARRANTING FURTHER EXPENDITURE OF AGENCY RESOURCES AT THIS TIME.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY THE AGENCY THAT NO SAFETY RELATED DEFECT EXISTS.ODI WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS ISSUE CLOSELY AND SHOULD CIRCUMSTANCES CHANGE, ODI WILL TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 HONDA VFR800. THE CONTACT MAILED IN A WARRANTY CARD NOTIFYING THE HONDA MANUFACTURER THAT HE NOW OWNS THE MOTORCYCLE. THE WARRANTY INFORMATION WAS ENTERED INTO HONDA'S SYSTEM INCORRECTLY AND NOW IT STATES THAT THE MOTORCYCLE IS STOLEN. THERE IS A NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 07V359000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING) ON THE VEHICLE, WHICH THE DEALERS ARE REFUSING TO ACKNOWLEDGE DUE TO THEIR ERROR. THERE HAD BEEN NO FAILURE TO DATE.

NHTSA ID

10234684

Incident

Jun 13, 2008

I OWN A 2002 HONDA VFR 800 MOTORCYCLE THAT HAS INCURRED ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS THAT 2 DEALERS WERE UNABLE TO REPAIR. THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS OCCURRED WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, AND WHEN TRYING TO USE TURN SIGNALS. THE HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT AND THE ENGINE DIED...A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. NOW THE MOTORCYCLE STILL DID THE SAME THING, JUST THAT THE HEADLIGHTS WERE PRACTICALLY NON FUNCTIONING ,THEY CAME ON SOMETIMES WHEN GOING OVER A BUMP BUT THE ENGINES STILL DIED WHENEVER I USE THE TURN SIGNALS. *AK ANY HELP YOU MAY PROVIDE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED, THE MORE RESEARCH I DO ON THE INTERNET REVEALS THAT THIS PARTICULAR BIKE HAS HAD AN ABNORMAL AMOUNT OF ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS, MANY RESULTING IN DANGEROUS PERHAPS DEADLY CONSEQUENCES.

NHTSA ID

10191600

Incident

Jan 10, 2007

Mileage

17,000 mi

MOTORCYCLE ENGINE DIED WHILE RUNNING. I DID TROUBLESHOOT TO FIND AN ELECTRICAL 30 AMP FUSE WIRE INSULATION SCORCHED AND BURNED THROUGH. COPPER CONDUCTOR HAD BECOME VERY HOT. *JB

NHTSA ID

10169814

Incident

Aug 4, 2006

Mileage

9,000 mi

HAD STARTING PROBLEMS AND WENT TO CHECK THE BATTERY. FOUND THAT THE FUSE HOLDER, A CONNECTOR AND THE SMALL WIRE BETWEEN THE TWO HAD DISCOLORED TO A BROWN. THERE WERE SIGNS OF MELTING ON THE WIRE INSULATION. THE PART HAS NOT FAILED TO DATE BUT GETS VERY HOT TO THE TOUCH WHEN THE VEHICLE ENGINE IS RUNNING. *JB

NHTSA ID

10167823

Incident

Sep 4, 2006

Mileage

20,054 mi

30AMP MAIN FUSE HOLDER MELTING. ENGINE STOPPED ON FREEWAY. *NM

NHTSA ID

10150565

Incident

Nov 1, 2005

Mileage

56,000 mi

DT: THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED 4 SEPARATE ELECTRICAL FAILURES, IT HAS CAUSED HEADLIGHT AND ENGINE FAILURE. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED HONDA THEY HAVE REPAIRED THE ISSUE UNDER WARRANTY. THE GROUND WIRE HAS BURNED 3 TIMES AT DIFFERENT POINTS. THE 1ST TIME AUG 2002. FIRST TIME IT ONLY HAD 18,000 MILES. *JB

NHTSA ID

10129934

Incident

Aug 15, 2002

Mileage

43,000 mi

Dealer message - On Monday, June 23, 2014, American Honda announced three recalls for various 2001-11 Honda models. As of August 4, 2014, affected VINs have been identified, and VIN status inquiry has been updated.

Dealer message - On Monday, June 23, 2014, American Honda announced three recalls for various 2001-11 Honda models. As of July 23, 2014, affected VINs have been identified, and service bulletins 14-040, Safety Recall: Accord, Civic, and Others ? Front Passenger?s Airbag Inflator Can Be Over-Pressurized, 14-045, Recall: Front Driver?s Airbag Inflator May Produce Excessive Pressure After Long-Term Exposure to High Absolute Humidity Recall, and 14-046, Recall: Front Passenger?s Airbag Inflator May Produce Excessive Pressure After Long-Term Exposure to High Absolute Humidity have been posted to ISIS. However, due to the large number of affected units, American Honda is still in the process of populating the VIN status inquiry function on iN, which is expected to take several days. When this process is complete, American Honda will notify all dealers again via iN message. Until that time, the existing acknowledgement procedure must be used for all potentially affected vehicles.

LOAD CARRYING CAPACITY REDUCED LABEL FOR ALL HONDA VEHICLES. *PE

HONDA: WARRANTY EXTENSION-VEHICLE WARRANTY MILEAGE. CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT ALLEGING THAT THE ODOMETERS ON CERTAIN 2002-2006 HONDA MODELS WERE OVERSTATING MILEAGE. FEDERAL COURT PROVIDED FINAL APPROVAL OF SETTLEMENT ON 12/29/07. NO MODELS LISTED. *PE

LINKED BRAKING SYSTEM (LBS) PROPORTIONAL CONTROL VALVE (PCV) LEAKAGE SAFETY RECALL. *TT