Honda preliminary evaluation PE10037
Low Beam Headlights. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the high/low beam dimmer switch on 2 model years (2007–2008). Opened Sep 16, 2010, closed Dec 20, 2010 after 3 months. It led to safety recall 10V624000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedIn their Defect Information Report (DIR) of December 15, 2010, American Honda Motor Company, Inc. (Honda) notified NHTSA that it will conduct a safety recall of model year 2007 and 2008 Honda Fit vehicles to repair the headlights. The recall will remedy a defect in the low beam headlight circuit that can cause a total outage of the low beam headlights. Honda's DIR states: Due to a variation in the assembly sequence when installing the wiring harness for the combination switch that controls the headlights, the wires for the low beam headlight circuit can be pulled tighter than the wiring for the other functions controlled by the combination switch. After repeated use of the headlight switch, the electrical connector terminal for the low beam headlight circuit can become worn as a result of this tension, which can result in low conductivity and cause an accumulation of copper oxide in the area of the contacts. In some cases the poor conductivity may cause the terminal ends to melt within the wiring harness connector. If this occurs, the low beam headlights can become inoperative, increasing the risk of a crash. Honda dealer's will inspect the combination switch and wiring harness and remedy the defect free of charge. Please see safety recall file 10V624 for recall details
A Preliminary Evaluation is the first formal stage: NHTSA has decided the complaints and other information it screened are worth a closer look, and asks the manufacturer for its own data on the condition. 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 became a recall. The campaign page carries the manufacturer’s filed defect, risk and remedy, the build window and every model year covered; whether one specific vehicle is included is settled by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Model years it names
Source: as NHTSA filed themAlso named: 2007 Honda FIT; 2008 Honda FIT.
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 PE10037 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 10V624000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE10037 still open?
No. It closed on Dec 20, 2010 and led to recall 10V624000.
Which vehicles does PE10037 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 2 model years: 2007 Honda FIT, 2008 Honda FIT. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.