NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Preliminary Evaluation PE05-040: FRONT COIL SPRING BREAKAGE

Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE05-040 on July 14, 2005 and closed it on September 14, 2005. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2001–2002 Acura MDX for it and links recall 05V-385 to it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number: PE05-040 (also written PE05040)
Investigation type: Preliminary Evaluation The first stage of most defect investigations: NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation gathers basic information about a possible safety defect, including from the manufacturer.
Status: Closed September 14, 2005
Opened: July 14, 2005
Closed: September 14, 2005
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Components: Suspension — Front — Springs — Coil Springs; Tires
Recall linked by NHTSA: 05V-385: CORROSION IN COIL SPRINGS, reported September 1, 2005
Vehicles and equipment: 2001–2002 Acura MDX

NHTSA's summary

As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE05-040.

IN AN AUGUST 29, 2005 LETTER, HONDA NOTIFIED NHTSA THAT IT HAD IDENTIFIED A DEFECT IN THE FRONT COIL SPRINGS OF CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2001 AND EARLY-2002 ACURA MDX SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES.ACCORDING TO HONDA, SOME FRONT SUSPENSION COIL SPRINGS HAVE INSUFFICIENT CORROSION PROTECTION AND, IN AREAS WHERE ROAD SALTS ARE USED, MAY BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO CORROSION.RUBBER SLEEVES APPLIED NEAR THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF SOME SPRINGS TO ELIMINATE NOISE CAN TRAP SALT WATER, INCREASING THE POTENTIAL FOR EXCESSIVE CORROSION.OVER TIME, EXCESSIVE CORROSION CAN CAUSE SPRING FAILURE.IN SOME CASES, A BROKEN SPRING COULD PUNCTURE A FRONT TIRE, WHICH INCREASES THE RISK OF A CRASH.EVIDENCE OF TIRE DAMAGE WAS IDENTIFIED IN AT LEAST 4 (29%) OF THE SPRING FRACTURE REPORTS AND 13 (21%) OF THE WARRANTY CLAIMS.ONE REPORT ALSO INDICATED THAT A FRACTURED SPRING DAMAGED A BRAKE LINE FAILURE, RESULTING IN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. TO CORRECT THE CONDITION, HONDA IS RECALLING APPROXIMATELY 22,861 MDX VEHICLES SOLD OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, VIRGINIA, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WHERE LARGE QUANTITIES OF ROAD SALT ARE USED (HONDA RECALL P92, NHTSA RECALL 05V-385).

THERE WERE NO COMPLAINTS OR WARRANTY CLAIMS INVOLVING VEHICLES FROM OUTSIDE THE RECALL REGION.DEALERS WILL REPLACE BOTH FRONT SUSPENSION COIL SPRINGS WITH IMPROVED SPRINGS.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE05-040. 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.

Acura

Acura MDX
- 2001, 2002

All Acura recalls

What 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.

Acura VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.

Sources

NHTSA's investigation record for PE05-040

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.