NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Engineering Analysis EA09-014: Air in brake system
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Engineering Analysis EA09-014 on October 19, 2009, the day it closed Preliminary Evaluation PE09-024, whose summary cites it, and closed it on May 11, 2010. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Honda Element and Odyssey for it and links recall 10V-098 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- EA09-014 (also written EA09014)
- Investigation type
- Engineering Analysis A more detailed stage of a defect investigation, opened when NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation decides an issue merits further review, often after a Preliminary Evaluation or a Recall Query; it can include vehicle testing, surveys and further information requests.
- Status
- Closed May 11, 2010
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
- Component
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic — Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip — Control Unit/Module
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 10V-098: SOFT BRAKE PEDAL/BRAKING PERFORMANCE, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- Honda Element and Odyssey
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Engineering Analysis EA09-014.
By letter dated March 15, 2010, American Honda Motor Corp. (HMC) notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that it will conduct a safety recall (NHTSA Recall No. 10V-098) to address a defect in approximately 412,000 model year (MY) 2007 and 2008 Honda Odyssey and Element vehicles equipped with an ABS/VSA/TCS modulator. The recalled Odyssey vehicles were built from August 2006 August 2008.
The recalled Element vehicles were built from July 2006 to July 2008. According to Honda, during an initial self-check process that occurs shortly after each engine ignition cycle, the self-diagnostic software for the VSA modulator allows a vacuum condition that can exist for several hours, allowing air to enter the VSA modulator pump.
Over time, and thousands of engine ignition cycles, it is possible for enough air to enter the system to result in a brake pedal that feels soft or lower to the floor.
If the customer does not have any brake service or maintenance performed over a period of months or years, the system can continue to accumulate enough air to affect braking performance.
To correct the safety defect, Honda dealers will remove existing air in the brake system then apply sealant and caps to the VSA modulator to prevent air from entering the brake system, free of charge. The action taken by Honda is sufficient to resolve the issues raised by this investigation. The agency will continue to monitor this issue and reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
Accordingly, this investigation is closed.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Engineering Analysis EA09-014. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to that page's NHTSA investigations section.
Honda
All Honda recallsWhat an NHTSA investigation is
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) looks into possible safety defects in vehicles and equipment, often after owner complaints. An investigation usually starts as a Preliminary Evaluation, or as a Recall Query when it concerns whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or fixes the problem, and ODI can upgrade it to a more detailed Engineering Analysis. A Defect Petition asks NHTSA to open an investigation, and Audit and Equipment Queries are administrative investigations into whether companies complied with federal vehicle safety requirements, such as reporting, recall and certification rules.
An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.
To see whether a specific vehicle has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Honda VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for EA09-014
Investigation details come from NHTSA's investigations file, which try.vin imports once a day. The investigation types are described from the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General's May 2023 report on NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, NHTSA's petition rules (49 CFR Parts 552 and 557) and NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation procedures. How try.vin reads NHTSA investigations.