The defect
ON CERTAIN MOTORCYCLES, THE FRONT FAIRING SUB-HARNESS (SECTION OF THE WIRING HARNESS) TRANSFERS THE ELECTRICAL GROUNDING LOAD OF THE HEADLIGHTS, FRONT TURN SIGNALS, INSTRUMENT PANEL, AND VARIOUS RELAYS TO THE MAIN WIRING HARNESS VIA AN 18-PIN CONNECTOR. UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, THE GROUND WIRE TERMINALS INSIDE THE CONNECTOR CAN OVERHEAT, RESULTING IN MELTING OF THE CONNECTOR AND A LOSS OF POWER TO VARIOUS CIRCUITS.
The risk
AS A RESULT, A LOSS OF CRITICAL LIGHTING OR ENGINE POWER COULD OCCUR WITHOUT WARNING, WHICH COULD CAUSE A CRASH.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A RE-DESIGNED SUB-HARNESS. IF DAMAGE IS FOUND, THE MAIN WIRING HARNESS WILL ALSO BE REPLACED FREE OF CHARGE. AN INTERIM LETTER WAS MAILED TO OWNERS ON SEPTEMBER 26, 2007. OWNERS WERE RE-NOTIFIED ON NOVEMBER 10, 2007, TO TAKE THEIR MOTORCYCLES TO DEALERS TO HAVE THE PARTS INSTALLED. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HONDA AT 1-866-784-1870.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by ODI
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Honda VFR800 | 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 |
Components: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honda VFR800 | 2002 | 6 | 2 |
| Honda VFR800 | 2003 | 8 | 2 |
| Honda VFR800 | 2004 | 3 | 2 |
| Honda VFR800 | 2005 | 3 | 1 |
Other electrical system recalls in 2007
35 of the 587 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2007 concerned the electrical system; HONDA (AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.) filed 96 campaigns in all.
| 07V599000 28 Dec 2007 | NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 07V569000 15 Dec 2007 | WHEELED COACH INDUSTRIES |
| 07V573000 14 Dec 2007 | VOLVO TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA |
| 07V574000 14 Dec 2007 | GIRARDIN MINIBUS INC. |
| 07V557000 11 Dec 2007 | PORSCHE CARS NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 07V552000 5 Dec 2007 | BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY |
| 07V544000 29 Nov 2007 | FREIGHTLINER LLC |
| 07V538000 27 Nov 2007 | MONACO COACH CORPORATION |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2007