— A Honda Accord driveshaft recall includes about 220,000 cars with driveshafts that could corrode and break.
The 2013-2015 Honda Accord driveshaft recall affects cars originally sold or ever registered in these states where road salt is used.
Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
The Honda Accords, equipped with 4-cylinder engines and continuously variable transmissions, have driveshafts that were assembled with a lubricant that may have degraded the protective coating on the Accord driveshafts. This makes the driveshafts more susceptible to damage from road salt or other contaminants.
The main corrosion danger comes from deicing agents used in salt-belt states, corrosion that weakens the driveshaft and causes it to break, especially under high torque conditions.
The Accord will lose forward motion and could roll away if parked without the parking brake engaged.
Honda learned of a broken Accord driveshaft in 2017 and caused Honda to launch an investigation as the automaker learned driveshafts were breaking in other Honda models.
Engineers found damage to the protecting coating on the driveshafts and by May 2019 learned a specific lubricant was used as an assembly aid from February 2013 to September 2014.
This coincided with the same period when the broken driveshafts were produced, and engineers determined the lubricant can interfere with the protective coating adhesion process.
Model year 2013-2015 Honda Accord owners who have paid to repair broken driveshafts may be eligible for reimbursements.
The Honda Accord driveshaft recall is expected to begin February 1, 2021, but to date there aren't enough replacement driveshafts for all the cars.
Honda dealers will inspect the Accords for problems with the protecting coating on the driveshafts near the dynamic dampers. The left and right driveshafts will be replaced if there are deformities within 40mm of the dampers.
Honda says no repairs will be performed on Accords not meeting the 40mm requirement because the automaker believes the driveshafts won't break for the remaining expected life of the cars.
Honda Accord customers with concerns should call 888-234-2138.
