Honda NC700X Recall Expands to US

As we expected, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced a recall on the 2012 Honda NC700X. The recall announcement comes a week after the NC700X and the NC700S were recalled in Canada.

As with the Transport Canada recall, the problem is a lack of proper heat treatment on the Honda NC700X’s  drive chain. The outer plates on some chains did not get the right heat treatment and, as a result, the plate may exceed its hardness limits and may fracture during use.

According to documents released by NHTSA, Honda received its first report of an NC700 model’s drive chain breaking on March 27 in Belgium. Honda sent the chain from the initial claim to supplier RK and in investigation was opened. Meanwhile, more reports came in to Honda’s subsidiaries in Germany, Spain, France and the U.K.

RK determined the initial chain had a delayed fracture on an outer plate on May 28, after the third broken chain was reported. Honda sent the broken chains to RK and the supplier determined June 19 the plates exceed the applicable hardness specification. Honda representatives visited RK on July 5 to review the company’s heat treatment process and testing. In total, Honda received nine reports of broken chains on NC700 models, all from Europe.

Honda dealers will inspect the drive chains on affected units and, if necessary, replace chains with ones that received the specified heat treatment. The recall campaign affects 1,542 units in the U.S.

[Source: NHTSA]

By Dennis Chung