The defect
American Honda Motor Co., Inc (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2013 Acura ILX vehicles manufactured January 16, 2012 to March 1, 2013, ILX Hybrid vehicles manufactured January 12, 2012 to February 7, 2013, and certain model year 2014 ILX vehicles manufactured May 2, 2013, to May 31, 2014, and ILX Hybrid vehicles manufactured October 18, 2013 to February 19, 2014. Excessive heat temperatures around the headlight bulb and reflector unit may diminish the output of the headlight and cause smoke, melting, and fire. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
The risk
The diminished light output may decrease the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash. Additonally, the excessive heat coming from around the bulb and reflector could cause the headlights to overheat, increasing the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the headlights, free of charge. The recall began in July 2014. Owners may contact Acura customer service at 1-800-862-2872. Honda's number for this recall is JE9.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Acura ILX | 2013, 2014 |
Components: EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acura ILX | 2013 | 66 | 6 |
| Acura ILX | 2014 | 29 | 5 |
Other exterior lighting recalls in 2014
31 of the 770 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2014 concerned the exterior lighting; Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) filed 245 campaigns in all.
| 14V807000 22 Dec 2014 | Navistar, Inc. |
| 14V805000 19 Dec 2014 | ARBOC Specialty Vehicles, LLC |
| 14V792000 16 Dec 2014 | Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) |
| 14V790000 15 Dec 2014 | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. |
| 14V768000 3 Dec 2014 | Temsa Global Sanayi Ve Ticaret A.S. |
| 14V735000 18 Nov 2014 | Isuzu Manufacturing Services of America |
| 14V725000 12 Nov 2014 | Harley-Davidson Motor Company |
| 14V713000 7 Nov 2014 | Hyundai Motor America |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2014