Honda engineering analysis EA14004
Inadvertent Side Air Bag Deployment. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this engineering analysis about the air bags on 2 model years (2008–2009). Opened Jul 29, 2014, closed Jan 4, 2016 after 17 months without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedHonda is conducting a safety recall of approximately 303,900 model year 2008-2009 Honda Accord sedans to address inadvertent deployment of the side air bags (see NHTSA recall 15V-665 for more information).It should be noted that almost all of the recalled vehicles are the 2008 Accords (built from start of model year 2008 production to June 25, 2008) as only about 500 early-built 2009 Accords (built from June 24 to June 30, 2008) are included in the recall. The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has identified 351 reported incidents of inadvertent side air bag deployments in the 2008 Accord sedans. This investigation found there is risk of serious injury to vehicle occupants or users who are positioned in the direct path of a deploying side curtain air bag. Based on the recall action taken by Honda, this Engineering Analysis is closed. Additional information on this closing resume and the investigation are in the EA14-004 public file available on-line at SaferCar.gov. The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed online at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification numbers:10232206 10235294 10255323 10268158 10268191 10269514 10276755 10279446 10280675 10308292 10319979 10342520 10353536 10408925 10436506 10447151 10458732 10468196 10468200 10493407 10494971 10522291 10524389 10543092 10544473 10545258 10547591 10554073 10563629 10565311 10565423 10576518 10579241 10584501 10585442 10606937 10608973 10627302 10638541 10640968 10650861 10654858 10679518 10680063 10683967 10712981 10717410 10717777 10761860
A Engineering Analysis is the deeper stage, usually upgraded from a Preliminary Evaluation: NHTSA tests, requests engineering documents and decides whether a safety defect exists. The summary is the agency’s own text from its investigation file, unedited; the opening and closing resumes with the full reasoning are on NHTSA’s site under this number.
What this means for an owner
Source: and what happens nextAn investigation is not a finding that a defect exists, and it puts no duty on anyone. NHTSA opens a Preliminary Evaluation when complaints and other reports suggest a condition worth asking the manufacturer about; it upgrades to an Engineering Analysis when the answers warrant testing; it closes either when it recommends a recall, when the manufacturer recalls on its own, or when no defect trend is found. The agency’s own goals are about four months for a petition, eight for a Preliminary Evaluation or a Recall Query and eighteen for an Engineering Analysis; many run longer.
This one closed without a recall. That means NHTSA found no defect trend it chose to act on at the time, or the manufacturer addressed the condition another way (a service campaign or a bulletin, which have their own pages). A closed file can be reopened if new reports arrive.
Model years it names
Source: as NHTSA filed themAlso named: 2008 Honda Accord; 2009 Honda Accord.
A vehicle page’s investigation list carries the same action; a name here is the scope NHTSA opened, not a list of affected VINs.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects InvestigationIs EA14004 a recall?
No. A engineering analysis is NHTSA asking questions, not a recall. A safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number and a duty to repair for free; this one closed without one. Whether one particular vehicle has an open recall is a VIN question at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Is EA14004 still open?
No. It closed on Jan 4, 2016 without a recall.
Which vehicles does EA14004 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 2 model years: 2008 Honda Accord, 2009 Honda Accord. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.