NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE05-047: STALLING & SUDDEN HEADLIGHT OUTAGE
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE05-047 on September 2, 2005 and closed it on December 20, 2005. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2002–2003 Honda VFR800 for it and links recall 07V-359 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE05-047 (also written PE05047)
- 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 December 20, 2005
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
- Component
- Electrical System
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 07V-359: WIRE HARNESS, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- 2002–2003 Honda VFR800
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE05-047.
ODI OPENED THIS INVESTIGATION AFTER RECEIVING THREE COMPLAINTS CONCERNING ALLEGED ENGINE STALLING AND/OR SUDDEN HEADLIGHT OUTAGES WHILE UNDERWAY.ODI ALSO FOUND NUMEROUS POSTINGS ON A WEB-BASED CHAT BOARD RELATED TO THE SUBJECT VEHICLE AND THESE ALLEGATIONS.FREQUENTLY, THE POSTING REFERENCED THE BLUE CONNECTOR JOINING THE MAIN HARNESS AND THE HEADLIGHT SUB-HARNESS.ODI HAS INSPECTED SUBJECT MOTORCYCLES AND ITS PEERS AND MET WITH THEIR OWNERS, DISCUSSED THIS MATTER WITH SUBJECT MOTORCYCLE DEALERS AND INDEPENDENT SERVICE PERSONNEL, AND REVIEWED HONDA'S RESPONSE TO OUR INFORMATION REQUEST.BASED ON THE INFORMATION GATHERED TO DATE, THE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT MOST FAILURES HAVE DEVELOPED SLOWLY OVER TIME WITH THE OPERATOR NOTINGDIFFICULTY STARTING THE MOTORCYCLE,AND A SMELL OF MELTING INSULATION, (NO FIRES ARE REPORTED).
IN THE MAJORITY OF REPORTS, THE PROBLEM IS NOTED WHILE STARTING THE MOTORCYCLE.MANY REPORTS STATE THE ENGINE STALLED WHEN THE STARTER BUTTON WAS INITIALLY RELEASED. FOR THE HEADLIGHT PROBLEM, MANY OF THE CIRCUIT OVERLOAD REPORTS WERE DUE TO THE INSTALLATION OF AFTERMARKET ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT.CURRENTLY, NO DEFECT TREND HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED WARRANTING FURTHER EXPENDITURE OF AGENCY RESOURCES AT THIS TIME.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY THE AGENCY THAT NO SAFETY RELATED DEFECT EXISTS.ODI WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS ISSUE CLOSELY AND SHOULD CIRCUMSTANCES CHANGE, ODI WILL TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE05-047. 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 PE05-047
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.