Honda preliminary evaluation PE20013
Clogged fuel filter causing a stall.. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the fuel pump on 5 model years (2018–2020). Opened Aug 10, 2020, closed Jan 15, 2021 after 5 months. It led to safety recall 20V797000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedThe Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) on August 10th, 2020 to investigate 26 reports of stalling due to clogged fuel filters on model year (MY) 2018 - 2020 Honda African Twin (CRF 1000 - 1100) motorcycles. Many of the owners allege the subject vehicle would suddenly stall while riding. Although the stalling speeds varied, most consumers allege the stalling occurred at highway speeds. This stalling condition is caused by clogged fuel filters. The subject vehicle fuel filters become contaminated with zinc-oxide (corrosion). The corrosion is coming from the inside of the fuel tank, along the end seam of a joint weld. The corrosion clogs the fuel filter, restricts fuel flow to the engine, and subsequently causes a sudden engine stall. During complainant interviews, ODI learned the bikes can sometimes be restarted after the initial stall. However, several consumers described this restart as causing a false sense of security. After restarting the bike and attempting to accelerate/merge into traffic, the bike quickly stalls again. This time the rider is placed in the middle of traffic, potentially causing a crash or risk of injury. On October 9, 2020, ODI received Honda?s Information Request (IR) response and learned that Honda was aware of 36 complaints, 87 field reports and 83 warranty claims of stalling related to clogged fuel filters. There were no claims of crashes or property damage associated with the alleged defect on the subject motorcycles. Additionally, Honda initiated three different modifications or changes to the fuel tank during production. On March 11, 2020, Honda released a customer satisfaction campaign to remove the zinc oxide that can contaminate the fuel pump filter, causing reduction of fuel flow. The part numbers for the fuel tank did not change after the implementation of the zinc oxide removal process. The process improvement was a running-change and no parts were withdrawn from production. On October 5, 2020 Honda added a new maximum contamination specification. This new specification was initiated to limit the contamination from the tank supplier. The tank supplier improved the cleaning process to meet the low contamination limit. Discussions and analysis of the data between ODI and Honda resulted in the manufacturer recalling certain 2018-2019 Africa Twin Adventure Sports (CRF1000L) and 2020 Africa Twin Adventure Sports (CRF1100L) motorcycles. Contaminants inside the fuel tank may cause the fuel filter to clog, resulting in an engine stall, and increasing the risk of a crash. ODI is closing this PE with Honda?s voluntary safety recall 20V-797. With the recall action taken by Honda, this investigation is closed, as further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist on other models or MY vehicles outside of the recall scope. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
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 resumes carrying the full reasoning are linked below.
The paperwork NHTSA filed
Source: every document on this action, at nhtsa.gov- Opening resume — ODI’s own summary of why it opened this — the subject, what prompted it, and the vehicles in scope.
- Closing resume — ODI’s own summary of why it closed this, and what it concluded.
| Document | Code | Filed | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening resume | INOA | 2020 | |
| Closing resume | INCLA | 2020 | |
| Information request to the manufacturer | INIM | 2020 | |
| Manufacturer's response — full submission | INRL | 2020 |
These are NHTSA’s own files, served from the agency’s site — the resumes are what ODI wrote when it opened and closed the action, and the rest is the correspondence behind them, including what the manufacturer sent when the agency asked. They are linked, not copied: where a document names the people who wrote in, that redaction is the agency’s to make and its copy is the one you should read.
What owners had already reported
Source: complaints on file the day it openedWhen NHTSA opened this on Aug 10, 2020, owners had filed 32 complaints with the agency about the model years above, of which 24 named the fuel/propulsion system NHTSA went on to investigate. Owner complaints are the agency’s main early signal: ODI screens them, and a Preliminary Evaluation is usually where a pattern in them ends up.
This is what the complaint file held on that date, not a claim about which reports prompted the investigation — NHTSA’s complaint records carry no investigation number, so nobody can make that link from the data alone. The opening resume linked above names the reports ODI itself cited. Complaint records on this site begin with 2016.
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: 2018 Honda CRF1000; 2019 Honda CRF1000; 2018 Honda CRF1000D; 2020 Honda CRF1100A; 2020 Honda CRF1100D4.
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 PE20013 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 20V797000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE20013 still open?
No. It closed on Jan 15, 2021 and led to recall 20V797000.
Which vehicles does PE20013 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 5 model years: 2018 Honda CRF1000, 2019 Honda CRF1000, 2018 Honda CRF1000D, 2020 Honda CRF1100A, 2020 Honda CRF1100D4. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.