American Honda Motor Co.: Suspension › Front › Control Arm › Lower Ball Joint
American Honda Motor Co. reported this defect to federal regulators on May 10, 1999 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 124,875. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. CERTAIN VEHICLES WERE MANUFACTURED WITH BALL JOINTS THAT CAN PREMATURELY WEAR OUT AND, IN THE WORSE CASE, THE BALL JOINT WOULD SEPARATE CAUSING THE FRONT SUSPENSION TO COLLAPSE.
The risk
THIS CONDITION WOULD RESULT IN VEHICLE DECELERATION AND A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER. ALSO STEERING CONTROLLABILITY WOULD BE REDUCED.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINTS.
17 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 Acura CL | 55 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| 1998 Acura RL | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 Acura TL | 20 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 1998 Honda Accord | 1,200 | 19 | 3 | 100 |
| 1998 Honda Odyssey | 73 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| 1998 Honda Prelude | 69 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| 1998 Isuzu Oasis | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 Acura CL | 82 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| 1997 Acura RL | 19 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 1997 Acura TL | 23 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 1997 Honda Accord | 460 | 15 | 10 | 42 |
| 1997 Honda Odyssey | 20 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 1997 Honda Prelude | 66 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| 1997 Isuzu Oasis | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1996 Acura RL | 22 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 1996 Acura TL | 26 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 1996 Honda Prelude | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
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 99V069000.
Full record for the 1998 Acura CL → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →