Honda recalls 2008 Element for suspension issue

[ifcar]

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/19/small-recall-for-big-issue-with-suspension-of-2008-honda-element/

All owners of 2008 Honda Elements are being asked to stop driving their cars until they have had them inspected at their local Honda dealer. According to a recall issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the front bushing bracket of the left trailing arm of the rear suspension may have been improperly welded. If it fails, it could separate from the trailing arm causing the suspension to release part of the wheel hub, thus leading to a loss of control or crash. Although only 241 Elements are potentially affected (there are specific VIN number ranges during certain production dates), Honda is notifying all owners immediately and will inspect and replace defective parts at no charge. Rather than taking a risk, err on the side of safety and call your Honda dealer if you've got the keys to a 2008 Element in your pocket.

[Raza]

241...seems like they got to it quickly. 

I wonder what makes something like that go wrong after being in production for so long. 

[Soup DeVille]

It's an improper weld. Weldments need to be looked afer constantly to make sure they're getting proper penetration. The standard procedure is to do a certain number of destructive tests per shift- and any time one of the tests fail, everything is scrapped that was made between the bad test and the last good test.

What I would bet happened was that a test was done wrong, and the part was later examined and found to have failed, but the parts were shipped before they could be scrapped, and made it onto the cars and out the door before Honda figured out what happened.

When they did figure out what happened, and verified probably a weeks worht aof tests, they only find that parts made in a specific time period may be bad, and recalled them.

[Atomic]

i actually would not mind if my car is recalled, provided that no one is hurt. if there is a problem, i want it addressed immediately. i was peeved when my 2004 maxi developed a problem that warranted a service bulletin. if recalled, i would not have been faced with a costly repair; instead, i felt it was a good opportunity to purchase a new vehicle.

i applaud honda. still pissed with nissan, but just could not resist another maxima se - great cars, despite the only major issue with a history of owning six maxi's.