NHTSA Investigation
PE09008
FIRE
Key Takeaways
- Investigation PE09008 currently maps to 1 tracked vehicle-year page across 1 make.
- This page summarizes the public investigation subject, status, timing, and affected tracked vehicles linked from NHTSA source data.
- The linked component on this record is electrical system: instrument cluster/panel.
- This investigation record also references recall campaign 10V001000.
What This Investigation Page Shows
This page summarizes a public NHTSA investigation record tied to one or more tracked vehicle-year pages in our database. Investigation records sit between owner complaints and recall campaigns: they can remain open, close without a recall, or connect to a later remedy action. Use this page to see which tracked vehicles are linked to the record, then open the individual vehicle pages for complaints, recalls, and crash test context.
Investigation Summary
THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED THIS INVESTIGATION BASED ON THREE VEHICLE OWNER QUESTIONNAIRE (VOQ) REPORTS ALLEGING A FIRE OCCURRED IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL.IN ADDITION, THERE WERE THREE VOQ REPORTS ALLEGING A BURNED, MELTED, OR SHORTED HVAC FAN MOTOR WIRING HARNESS.HONDA REPORTS THAT DURING AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER, 2006, IT CONDUCTED A STUDY REGARDING MELTING OF THE HVAC FAN MOTOR HARNESS CONNECTOR.HONDA CONCLUDED THAT THE DAMAGE TO THE HARNESS CONNECTOR COULD RESULT FROM CONTACT BY A PASSENGER'S FOOT OR HANDLING OF THE HVAC UNIT DURING VEHICLE ASSEMBLY.HONDA INSTITUTED CHANGES TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES.ALL COMPLAINT VEHICLES WERE MANUFACTURED BEFORE HONDA IMPLEMENTED THESE CHANGES.ODI'S ANALYSIS OF THE DATA (BOTH ODI AND HONDA) SHOW THERE ARE SIX REPORTS (DUPLICATES REMOVED) ALLEGING A FIRE IN OR NEAR THE INSTRUMENT PANEL.FOUR OF THOSE RESULTED FROM AN UNKNOWN CAUSE, ONE RESULTED FROM AN HVAC FAN MOTOR FAILURE, AND ONE IS REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN ARSON. IN ADDITION, THERE WERE NINE REPORTS OF HVAC FAN MOTOR HARNESS FAILURE THAT RESULTED IN SMOKE IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT BUT NO VEHICLE FIRE.THE REMAINING FIVE REPORTS RESULTED IN SMOKE IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT AND INCLUDED FAILURES OF THE AIR CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR, HVAC FAN MOTOR, AND A POWER TRANSISTOR.THIS INVESTIGATION DID NOT FIND THAT FAILURE OF THE HVAC FAN MOTOR CONNECTOR, WHICH CAN RESULT IN SMOKE, WOULD ALSO LEAD TO A FIRE.SIMILARILY NO DEFECT TREND WAS IEDNTIFIED FROM EXAMINATION OF THE SIX REPORTED FIRES.A SAFETY RELATED DEFECT HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME AND FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WARRANTED.ACCORDINGLY THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST.THE AGENCY WILL TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.
Manufacturer listed on the source record: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Component listed on the source record: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
Affected Vehicles (1)
| Year | Make | Model |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Honda | Ridgeline |
Browse Affected Vehicles
Affected Models
Affected Years
All data is sourced from NHTSA public records. This site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or any government agency. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and may not reflect confirmed defects. For official information, visit nhtsa.gov.
Latest vehicle import recorded anywhere on this site: Oct 8, 2026. Individual vehicles and datasets may have older records; this is not this page's update date.