NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE09008

THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED THIS INVESTIGATION BASED ON THREE VEHICLE OWNER QUESTIONNAIRE (VOQ) REPORTS ALLEGING A FIRE OCCURRED IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL.IN ADDITION, THERE WERE THREE VOQ REPORTS ALLEGING A BURNED, MELTED, OR SHORTED HVAC FAN MOTOR WIRING HARNESS.HONDA REPORTS THAT DURING AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER, 2006, IT CONDUCTED A STUDY REGARDING MELTING OF THE HVAC FAN MOTOR HARNESS CONNECTOR.HONDA CONCLUDED THAT THE DAMAGE TO THE HARNESS CONNECTOR COULD RESULT FROM CONTACT BY A PASSENGER'S FOOT OR HANDLING OF THE HVAC UNIT DURING VEHICLE ASSEMBLY.HONDA INSTITUTED CHANGES TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES.ALL COMPLAINT VEHICLES WERE MANUFACTURED BEFORE HONDA IMPLEMENTED THESE CHANGES.ODI'S ANALYSIS OF THE DATA (BOTH ODI AND HONDA) SHOW THERE ARE SIX REPORTS (DUPLICATES REMOVED) ALLEGING A FIRE IN OR NEAR THE INSTRUMENT PANEL.FOUR OF THOSE RESULTED FROM AN UNKNOWN CAUSE, ONE RESULTED FROM AN HVAC FAN MOTOR FAILURE, AND ONE IS REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN ARSON. IN ADDITION, THERE WERE NINE REPORTS OF HVAC FAN MOTOR HARNESS FAILURE THAT RESULTED IN SMOKE IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT BUT NO VEHICLE FIRE.THE REMAINING FIVE REPORTS RESULTED IN SMOKE IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT AND INCLUDED FAILURES OF THE AIR CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR, HVAC FAN MOTOR, AND A POWER TRANSISTOR.THIS INVESTIGATION DID NOT FIND THAT FAILURE OF THE HVAC FAN MOTOR CONNECTOR, WHICH CAN RESULT IN SMOKE, WOULD ALSO LEAD TO A FIRE.SIMILARILY NO DEFECT TREND WAS IEDNTIFIED FROM EXAMINATION OF THE SIX REPORTED FIRES.A SAFETY RELATED DEFECT HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME AND FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WARRANTED.ACCORDINGLY THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST.THE AGENCY WILL TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.