NHTSA Complaint #11576529 — 2010 HONDA CR-V

American Honda Motor Co., Inc. issued a recall for our 2010 CRV. The recall identified a flaw in the design whereby "corrosion can form in the rear frame due to the accumulation of road de-icing agents mixed with mud and water. As a result, the rear frame can deteriorate, and the rear trailing arm may fall off. A detached rear trailing arm can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash or injury." (NHSTA Recall Number 23V-228) After the work was performed, we were told by a representative of the dealership’s service department that the vehicle would not pass state motor vehicle safety inspection because of the work they had performed. Over the course of August, 2023 I made more than 20 attempts (15 by email and many more by phone) to reach Honda representatives to ask them to fully repair the car so that it could pass inspection, or to repurchase the vehicle per the terms of the recall notice. Honda declined, stating that "if the brace had not been installed, we would be having a different conversation" (telephone conversation with a supervisor at Honda, August 31, 2023). The work that Honda did to address this safety recall was insufficient because, although the service team at the dealership was able to install a brace on the vehicle's rear frame, the vehicle will not pass state motor vehicle inspection, according to both Honda's dealership mechanic and an assessment by an independent certified mechanic who is familiar with this vehicle. Honda’s original design of certain parts of the frame is responsible for the excessive corrosion of the rear frame which is rendering the vehicle unsafe to drive. Since American Honda Motor Co. was not able to repair the vehicle to a safe operating condition that will continue to pass state inspection, and since the vehicle is otherwise in proper, safe, working condition, the company should have offered to repurchase the vehicle. The recall "fix" is insufficient to ensure driver safety.