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Recall - Hood Support Rod Slips Out of Grommet Hole: Overview

07-083

November 20, 2007

Applies To:
2008 Ridgeline - From VIN 2HJYK1...8H51 9807 thru 2HJYK1...8H520571

Safety Recall: Hood Support Rod Slips From Its Grommet Hole

BACKGROUND

On a small number of 2008 Ridgelines, the hole for the hood support rod grommet was stamped slightly outside of specification. A mis-stamped grommet hole does not provide enough material to hold the weight of the hood support rod when the hood is being held by the rod. This could cause the grommet and the support rod to come out of the body, resulting in the hood falling down.

CUSTOMER NOTIFICATION

We estimate that about 20 affected vehicles have been sold. The rest are in transit to dealers or are in dealer inventory. All owners of affected vehicles will be contacted by telephone the week of November 19, 2007. These owners will be asked to return their vehicle to the selling dealer to have the hood support rod grommet hole inspected.

Only a few vehicles within the affected VIN range have the problem described in this service bulletin. Most vehicles only require an inspection of the grommet hole area. Before working on a vehicle, you must verify its eligibility by checking at least one of these items:

^ The customer was contacted by Honda Automobile Customer Service and asked to return to their selling dealer for the inspection.

^ The vehicle is shown as eligible on a VIN status inquiry.

In addition to these verification items, check for a punch mark above the first character of the engine compartment VIN. A punch mark in that location means this campaign has already been completed.

Some of the vehicles affected by this campaign may be in your new car inventory. According to federal law, these vehicles cannot be sold or leased until they are repaired. To see if a vehicle in inventory is affected by this campaign, do a VIN status inquiry.

CORRECTIVE ACTION

Measure the location of the hood support rod grommet hole from the edge of the front bulkhead. If the measurement is out of specification, install a support rod bracket on the front bulkhead.

PARTS INFORMATION

Support Rod Bracket Kit
(Contains exterior-colored support rod bracket, hood support rod grommet, bulkhead cover clips [original clips can be reused if not damaged], rivet tool, rivets, grinding bit, 5 mm drill bit, surface prep compound, yellow wax, and touch-up paint.)

To order a Support Rod Bracket Kit, call (800) 880-1072, and give the vehicle's exterior paint color. The six exterior colors for the 2008 Ridgeline are:

Billet Silver Metallic (NH-689M)

Dark Cherry Pearl (R-529P)

Formal Black (NH-707)

Nimbus Gray Metallic (NH-705M)

Steel Blue Metallic (B-533M)

Taffeta White (NH-578)

Hood Support Rod Grommet:

P/N 90601-50X-A01, H/C 5943964

NOTE:
This part is for inspection only" vehicles. It is needed only if the original grommet is damaged.

WARRANTY CLAIM INFORMATION





NOTE:
The measurement of the hood support rod grommet hole must be included in the customer contention field of the warranty claim.

INSPECTION PROCEDURE

1. With an assistant holding the hood open, remove the hood support rod and its grommet:

^ Rotate and twist the rod while you pull it out, following the bends in the rod. Be careful not to bend or flex the sheet metal around the grommet.

^ Remove the grommet with a grommet tool, or by pressing its lock tabs while you push in the direction shown.

2. Using Vernier calipers, measure and record the minimum distance between the grommet hole and the trim line of the flange. This measurement (in millimeters) must be included in the customer contention field of the warranty claim.

^ If the measurement is 3 mm or more, the grommet hole is OK; go to step 3.





If the measurement is less than 3 mm, go to REPAIR PROCEDURE.

3. Reinstall the grommet into its hole in the bulkhead. If the original grommet was damaged, install a new one.

4. Reinstall the hood support rod into the grommet. Securely set the hood support rod into its stay clip.





5. Center-punch a completion mark above the first character of the engine compartment VIN.

REPAIR PROCEDURE





1. With an assistant holding the hood open, carefully remove the air intake duct (three clips). Any undamaged clips can be reused.

2. Remove the front bulkhead cover:

^ Remove the nine clips. Any undamaged clips can be reused.





^ Detach the side edges of the cover from the fenders, then pass the opening in the middle of the cover over the hood latch lever.





3. Temporarily hold the hood open by inserting the hood support rod into the front bulkhead and the hood as shown.





4. Mark the passenger's side hood edge cushion to note its adjusted height, then remove the cushion by twisting it counterclockwise.

5. Place a large cloth or towel under the passenger's side of the front bulkhead. This will help to catch any metal filings during the installation of the support rod bracket.





6. Scribe a line around the grommet hole, about 2 mm out from the hole.

7. Using the grinding bit from the support bracket kit, grind out the grommet hole to where you scribed the line. When you grind out the hole, the metal around its bottom half is removed. Remove all burrs and metal shavings with a file.

8. Temporarily attach the support rod bracket using a bulkhead cover clip. The bracket serves as a template for the two holes you need to drill.





NOTE:
In the illustrations, the color of the support rod bracket is different than the exterior paint color. The bracket you install will be the same color as the exterior paint.





9. Using the 5 mm drill bit from the kit, drill two holes in the bulkhead in the locations shown. Remove the clip and the bracket after you drill the holes, then remove all burrs and metal shavings with a file.





10. Carefully wipe off the areas you ground and drilled using the surface prep compound from the kit and a soft cloth.





11. Using the touch-up paint from the kit, paint the areas around the drilled holes, the grommet hole and the holes in the support rod bracket.





12. Once the paint is tacky, brush some yellow wax (from the kit) onto the painted areas, including the holes in the support rod bracket.

13. Install the support rod bracket on the front bulkhead:

^ Position the bracket on the bulkhead, and line up the holes.





^ Using the rivet gun and two rivets from the kit, attach the bracket in two places as shown.

14. Paint the rivet heads with touch-up paint. Underneath the bulkhead, apply yellow wax to the bottom of each rivet.





15. Press a new grommet into its hole in the support rod bracket.

16. With an assistant holding the hood open, remove the hood support rod from its temporary location. Then, insert the support rod into the grommet, and follow the bends in the rod while twisting and rotating it back into position. Insert the top of the rod into its normal support hole in the hood.

17. Reinstall the front bulkhead cover and the air intake duct. Use the spare clips from the kit to replace any damaged clips.

18. Reinstall the hood edge cushion, twisting it clockwise until it reaches the adjusted height you marked in step 4.





19. Center-punch a completion mark above the first character of the engine compartment VIN.





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