Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
STRUCTURE - BODY - DOOR
9700303/10/199752057One of the power door locks cycles. *jd07/17/1997

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
STRUCTURE - BODY
12/02/2011180000
 Tl* the contact owns a 1997 honda passport. the contact stated that the vehicle was being examined by an independent mechanic when he was informed that there was severe rust and corrosion on the frame. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 10v436000 (suspension:rear). the failure and current mileages were 180,000.
12/02/2011180000
 Tl- the contact owns a 1997 honda passport. the contact stated that the vehicle was being examined by an independent mechanic when he was informed that there was severe rust and corrosion on the frame. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 10v436000 (suspension:rear). the failure and current mileages were 180,000. kmj
12/02/2011180000
 Tl-the contact owns a 1997 honda passport. the contact stated that the vehicle was being examined by an independent repair shop when he was informed that there was severe rust and corrosion on the frame. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 10v436000 (suspension:rear). the failure and current mileages were 180,000. sm.
STRUCTURE - BODY - BUMPERS
06/08/2007206/27/2002
 While traveling at 65 mph the back left tire tread separated from the tire. it tore the skirt around the back wheel from the holding screws ,causing major damage to the left bumper. also, it tore the black border panels from door and bumper. the amazing part was that the tire never went flat. have photos. *ak
STRUCTURE - BODY - DOOR
10/01/19971008/01/1997
 Driver door power lock frequently freezes up when temperature falls below 45 degrees f. and always freezes up when themperature falls to near freezing and below. key cannot be used to open door, lock must be manually pulled up, and opens only with difficulty.
STRUCTURE - FRAME AND MEMBERS
06/15/2011176843
 Excessive rusting on steel chassis of 1997 honda passport to the point where it is unsafe to drive vehicle. honda has recall on '98 and above for frame rust issues but not on 95-97 models. if this vehicle is in an accident where it is hit broadside from passenger side, the frame is so rusted (can put whole fist into it) that it will most likely split the car in half. honda wants to charge me a diagnostic fee to determine if they are willing to do anythign with the vehicle. obviously, others have experienced the same issue (nhtsa's internal reference number : 10262212 ). where this gentleman seemed to be original owner referencing no offroading history, i cannot vouge since i just bought the vehicle for my daughter to drive to college. at this time, i have parked the vehicle and prohibited her from driving it.
04/20/2011170000
 Tl*the contact owns a 1997 honda passport. the contact stated while driving 40 mph he contact heard a cracking sound underneath the vehicle. the contact pulled over to examine the vehicle and noticed a cracked suspension link in the rear of the vehicle. the suspension crack was due to rust build up on the frame. the contact called the manufacturer advised him to take vehicle to the dealer. the contact stated the vehicle was very unstable and unsafe to drive. the contact did not take the vehicle to the dealer. the failure mileage was 170,000. jo
04/20/2011170000
 Tl-the contact owns a 1997 honda passport. the contact stated while driving 40 mph he contact heard a cracking sound underneath the vehicle. the contact pulled over to examine the vehicle and noticed a cracked suspension link in the rear of the vehicle. the suspension crack was due to rust build up on the frame. the contact called the manufacturer advised him to take vehicle to the dealer. the contact stated the vehicle was very unstable and unsafe to drive. the contact did not take the vehicle to the dealer. the failure mileage was 170,000. jo
08/05/201068000
 Tl* the contact owns a 1997 honda passport. the contact stated that after taking the vehicle in for routine service, the mechanic advised him that the frame was severely rusted to perform any repairs. they also advised that he should not drive the vehicle because of the severity of the failure. the manufacturer was not contacted and the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 68,000.
08/05/201068000
 Tl-the contact owns a 1997 honda passport. the contact stated that after taking the vehicle in for service the mechanic advised him that the frame was too badly rusted to perform any work. they also mentioned to him that he shouldn't drive due to the severity of the rust. the manufacturer has not been conacted and the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 68,000. tb
01/01/2008
 The entire frame is rusted through and basically deteriorating. i can look underneath my vehicle and see holes where the metal should be and see it flaking off. i could easily poke a hole right through it on just about any point on both the front and the rear. it has been like this for a few years now but it has gotten worse, to the point where i don't think it is really safe to drive. i saw on the news recently where people have been having problem with these vehicles literally falling apart and breaking in two. the news story stated the years 1998-2008 but my 1997 is exactly the same underneath.
03/01/2009998001
 I took my 97 honda passport to the mechanic to have my water pump looked at. while the car was on his lift, he noticed a considerable amount of rust on the frame. there were places where the frame was rusted out completely. i have never used this suv off road and have maintained it well. a friend of mine also had a passport like mine that did the same thing. *tr
07/27/20051
 While having exhaust work done the mechanic noticed the frame on my 1997 honda passport was rusted. the dealer described it as 100% rusted on the passenger side (about 1 foot long behind the front tire) and 50% on the driver side. the dealer said the car is not safe to drive and could cause a fatal accident. i reported the problem to honda america and received a call from the local dealer stating that honda was going to do something, but needed to have all the repair costs documented. they said it was unlikely that anything attached to the frame, like brake and fuel lines could be reused. i then received the following phone message from honda america: ⿿this is micki calling from american honda customer service.... the body shop did perform a very through inspection and, based on their findings american honda would not be offering assistance on this repair. our main concern was to determine whether or not the rust that has rusted the frame was caused by an abnormality in the way the car was designed or the materials that were used. and when they looked underneath they realized that the entire underbody of the car has been corroded by road salt ⿿ ah, brake lines, tran.. cooler lines, everything has been affected by these very corrosive ⿿ highly corrosive materials used. they certainly do not recommend that you drive the car they don't feel that it is safe to drive, but this is not an issue that american honda would assist you in the repair given that it was something that has occurred in the environment. i didn't find any other instances of rusting frames for the this passport and honda would certainly have been aware of those if that had been the issue that it was like a design defect and i do know that you live in an area that is the rust belt of the united states... in effect, honda says this car is not safe after 7 years on michigan roads, even though the body has no rust and it runs well. *jb
04/14/200480894301/07/2004
 I bought the car at 74,671 miles, it was burning 1/2 quart every 500 miles. at 80,044 mi the engine was rebuilt with new rings, valve seals and the whole works. the engine is still burning the same amount of oil, and have troubles with other things. such as belts,crank pulley,instruments,4x4 valves and frame corrosion.*ak