On March 23, 2023, American Honda Motor Company issued a safety recall for certain 2022 Honda Navi motorcycles due to improper routing of the speedometer cable from the factory. This improper routing, Honda says, could cause the speedometer to break or detach, which would then render the speedometer inoperable. If this occurred, it could increase the risk of a crash or an injury.
Approximately 15,848 bikes may potentially be involved in this recall, which represents an estimated one percent of the population, according to Honda’s records. On affected bikes, the incorrect routing of the speedometer cable may cause a gap in the speedometer’s cover and an insufficient fit with the pinion gear. Thus, potential breakage might occur on the speedometer side, or else detachment on the brake panel side.
According to Honda’s chronology of this problem, it received the first report of a speedometer cable detaching on a Navi in February, 2022, at which point it launched an investigation. By March, 2022, it also received a report of a speedometer cable breaking, as well as more reports of other speedo cables detaching. After receiving additional reports and conducting internal investigations and testing, it was able to reproduce and identify the cause of both problems. As of March 16, 2023, no injuries or deaths have been reported to Honda that relate to this issue.
Honda notified its authorized dealer network starting on March 17, 2023, and has a detailed service bulletin available for technicians. It also issued a stop sale notice for all new and used 2022 Honda Navis until the speedometer cable routing issue is remedied on those bikes. Owner notification is scheduled to begin on or about May 1, 2023, via postal mail.
Owners of affected vehicles will be asked to take their Navis to an authorized Honda Powersports dealer to perform the recall service. At that time, the dealer will replace the affected speedometer cable with one that is routed correctly, at no charge to the customer. As a note, the cable used will be the same unit, but it will be routed correctly this time. If owners have previously paid to have this condition remedied at their own expense, they may be eligible for reimbursement, so long as they have appropriate documentation to back their claims.
Owners may contact American Honda customer service at 1-866-784-1870. Honda’s number for this recall is KP1. Additionally, owners may contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminstration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or go to www.nhtsa.gov. NHTSA’s number for this campaign is 23V-195.
