NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE10-037: Low Beam Headlights
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE10-037 on September 16, 2010 and closed it on December 20, 2010. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2007–2008 Honda Fit for it and links recall 10V-624 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE10-037 (also written PE10037)
- 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, 2010
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
- Components
- Exterior Lighting — Headlights; Exterior Lighting — Headlights — High/Low Beam Dimmer Switch; Exterior Lighting — Headlights — Switch
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 10V-624: LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- 2007–2008 Honda Fit
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE10-037.
In their Defect Information Report (DIR) of December 15, 2010, American Honda Motor Company, Inc. (Honda) notified NHTSA that it will conduct a safety recall of model year 2007 and 2008 Honda Fit vehicles to repair the headlights.
The recall will remedy a defect in the low beam headlight circuit that can cause a total outage of the low beam headlights.
Honda's DIR states: Due to a variation in the assembly sequence when installing the wiring harness for the combination switch that controls the headlights, the wires for the low beam headlight circuit can be pulled tighter than the wiring for the other functions controlled by the combination switch.
After repeated use of the headlight switch, the electrical connector terminal for the low beam headlight circuit can become worn as a result of this tension, which can result in low conductivity and cause an accumulation of copper oxide in the area of the contacts.
In some cases the poor conductivity may cause the terminal ends to melt within the wiring harness connector.
If this occurs, the low beam headlights can become inoperative, increasing the risk of a crash. Honda dealer's will inspect the combination switch and wiring harness and remedy the defect free of charge.
Please see safety recall file 10V624 for recall details
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE10-037. 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 PE10-037
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.