To close out March 2025, American Honda Motor Company submitted a safety recall report to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regarding certain 2024 and 2025 ADV160 scooters. On affected models, a manufacturing defect in the oil pump driven gear combined with an improper finish on the timing sprocket could cause abnormal gear wear. This could, in turn, eventually lead to engine seizure, which could increase the risk of a crash and/or an injury.
According to Honda's records, approximately 3,316 scooters may be affected by this issue. This represents around two percent of the population. Affected scooters were produced between March 22, 2023 and November 6, 2024.
Two problems are blamed for this issue, according to the report. The steel timing gear received "excessive shot blasting," and the oil pump driven gear was apparently deformed due to the cooling process (it's a polymer-based gear). The resulting shape ended up tapered, which in turn led to misaligned gears and uneven wear in operation.
