Honda (American Honda Motor Co.): Trailer Hitches
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) reported this defect to federal regulators on Sep 5, 2012 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 5,216. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
Honda is recalling certain model year 2007 through 2011 Element passenger vehicles equipped with an accessory trailer hitch wiring harness. The wire that supplies power to the trailer turn signal lights was inadvertently switched with the stop lamp wire. As a result the turn signals only illuminate when the brake lamps are illuminated. This does not comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
The risk
Without trailer turn signal illumination, the driver's intent is not communicated, potentially increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles free of charge. The safety recall began on September 20, 2012. Owners may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009.
5 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 Honda Element | 11 | 11 | 0 | 1 |
| 2010 Honda Element | 30 | 11 | 0 | 2 |
| 2009 Honda Element | 31 | 9 | 0 | 4 |
| 2008 Honda Element | 113 | 13 | 0 | 5 |
| 2007 Honda Element | 112 | 12 | 0 | 6 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 12V436000.
Full record for the 2011 Honda Element → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →