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2003-2007 Honda Accord Power Steering Hose Recall
I received a recall notice from American Honda in Sept 2012. They stated that there had been incidents of power steering hoses failing prematurely, and in rare cases, causing a fire. The notice went on to say that new hoses would be available in early 2013, and that an additional notice would be sent out when the hoses were available.
In the meantime, my hose ruptured, spewed PS fluid on the exhaust manifold, and caused a fire.
I'm curious whether anybody else out there has had this problem get to the point of an engine fire. How has Honda treated you?
In the meantime, my hose ruptured, spewed PS fluid on the exhaust manifold, and caused a fire.
I'm curious whether anybody else out there has had this problem get to the point of an engine fire. How has Honda treated you?
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From the LA Times: American Honda Motor Co. is expanding an earlier recall of Acura TL sedans to include 572,000 model-year 2003 to '07 Accord vehicles with V-6 engines in the United States.
But the recall is being delayed into next year because the automaker doesn't have enough parts to fix the problem.
Second, I would give American Honda their due. After essentially no push-back, they paid for my repairs.
Third, be aware that there is a TSB out on PS pumps on all these cars. After my fire-related work and hose replacement, my PS pump started growling. Rather than even trying to get the dealer to fix it, I fixed it myself. Very easy, a $2 o-ring lets air into the system. My point is merely, if you have the car in for the hose replacement, you may want to have them replace the PS pump o-ring at the same time, or, at the very least, pick up an o-ring yourself, because all these pumps are GOING to growl.
Happy motoring.
I have a 03 accord and the power steering hose failed. Honda doesn't want to pay for the power steering pump repair.The loss of the hose on the freeway took out the pump too. Did Honda pay for all your related fire damage or just the hose or just the hose and the labor to replace it. For me, they only sent a check for the labor only to replace it. I have appealed my case number.
Thanks
Mike
Tucson
Rex here. It was my post, not Wayne's.
I called American Honda, told them my tale of woe, and told them I wanted them to pay for it. They never said aye or nay, but hen I picked up my car at the dealer, the bill was $0.
I was on a trip in NC when the car failed in Jan. 2012. While driving on the first day of our vacation, large amounts of smoke poured out from under the car hood and into the car vents, appearing to the point of starting to catch on fire. Luckily we were on a back street and were able to immediately pull over and jump out of the car for fear of fire. The car was towed to a nearby town and repaired to the tune of $900.00. The dealership installed a new power steering hose, rebuilt power steering pump, and fluids. The service manager said it was all caused from the failing hose which leaked onto the catalytic converter, etc... causing damage. We were astounded at the repair cost, but being out of town in unfamiliar territory, we were at the mercy of one Honda dealership. We had no car for two and a half days on vacation which was quite frustrating. We ended up extending our stay for two more days of vacation as we had no transportation while there, unless we rented. We felt it was a very costly trip, mostly due to car problems.
Later in the year, we found out there was a recall on the power steering hose due to cars catching on fire. I called Honda to tell them of our own situation. The rep. was very nice and told me to include a letter explaining our whole situation. I did as she instructed when returning our reimbursement form.
Apparently, the story of how it happened and the cost had no bearing on our refund check which was one third of the cost of the bill, much less any other expenses we incurred due to no car. We have not cashed the check. Do you think this should be a case of appeal? Any advice would be appreciated.
My end result is similar. My PS steering pump also went dry and failed. I submitted
the bill for the hose, the labor, the rebuilt PS pump. They said on the phone they would pay the full amount. For me the amount was 412.00. Not the Honda dealership. First they payed for the labor. I complained. So they sent the amount for the rebuilt hose. I complained. They would not call the mechanic, who is Honda certified. Based on their "experts" advice, they determined that the PS pump was unrelated and was not covered. Very silly answer. OF Course it was related.. My thought was to take them to small claims here in Tucson, make 'em work for it. But my wife didn't want the drama, we decided to drop it. I would take the check and cash it and still take them to small claims for the balance. Yours is a lot more than mine and if you have the time. If you research cases against American Honda in small claims courts, they have lost, and appealed that amount and won. But they have lost others too. 600.00 plus dollars is a lot of groceries.
Mike
Tucson
Where is your power system leaking? It sounds to me that your problem is unrelated to the hose recall. Since you have had "3 hoses", your current hose is relatively new. Whether it is new design or old design, it is unlikely that the hose itself (as opposed to the connectors) is leaking yet. If your current hose is wrapped in aluminum foil, I believe it is a "new design" hose. Since you have had all this work on pumps, hoses, rack, there are plenty of joints which have been disassembled and reassembled.
If you are at all mechanically inclined, you can crawl around and figure out where the PSF leak is. Has your work been done by a dealer, an independent shop, or by you? Replacing the pump, and replacing the hose is pretty simple. The rack is more involved. If you had the work done at a shop, you need to find a different shop.
Personally, I am quite pi**ed off at Honda right now. I'll spare you the heart-wrenching tales of woe, but in spite of my current anger with Honda, your problem sounds like a bad mechanic, and has nothing in particular to do with the PS hose recall.
Post how this turns out.
Good luck.
My dad's 2007 Honda Accord just had this same problem. The hose was replaced during the recall last year, don't know what kind, but the vehicle caught on fire last week and was completely toasted. My dad's insurance is probably going to cover the vehicles replacement but Honda is not involved in this, yet. My dad seams to think Honda will not do anything about this but I'm begging him to at least try. What do you guys think?
Also the flame started on the passenger side under hood and closer to the windshield than the front of the car, the exact location of the power steering components. Within minutes of noticing the flame the entire car was engulfed. Fire dept was called, police report made. I think it's silly to not peruse Honda for this. I just read about 900,000 Minivans recalled for issues catching on fire. My faith and loyalty in Honda is over. Will never buy another one. Period. End of story.
Thanks:Ray T
Mrbill