[CakePops123]

Honda is extending the warranty on the DRLs on 2016-2017 Accords with eligible VIN# from 3 years to 10 years/unlimited mileage .

It is about time this happened, my DRLs were beginning to turn yellow. I am at 65K miles on the car and have been fortunate to have working headlights until now.

 

[Taz69]

Is that the correct number. I just could not find the TSB anywhere.

 

[CakePops123]

It was just announced today.

 

[paterico]

Great news!

 

[acutee]

Don't be excited too soon until yours is covered. TSB and Vin# range is another strategy to deny warranty services. They will say your vin is not listed, it only covers a specific issue, on and on; they have tons of excuses. There are tons of TSB out there that they refused to do the service on. TSB is just a way to get away from legal matters, and in other words, it's a way to deny manufacturer's defects, but volunteerily doing the consumers a favor, meaning they don't have to fix it for you.

 

[Ronch]

Thanks for the info!

The 3/36 warranty on my '16 EX Coupe expires this coming Sat and DRLs were a concern going forward, though they're both still working at ~27K.

Wonder if any of those threatened class action DRL lawsuits were the trigger for this extension...? :wink

EDIT: Oh wait... I just looked at the image @CakePops123 posted. It only mentions damage to the lens from the heat. It doesn't mention the LEDs burning out. So what if the LEDs actually burn out...??

Now we need to know how many lenses got damaged vs how many LEDs burned out... :0


EDIT2: @zroger73 types faster than I do!

 

[zroger73]

The TSB states: "Heat from the daytime running light (DRL) LEDs may damage the DRL lens. If the lens is damaged, it may appear that
some of the DRL LEDs are not working."

The most common issue I see is failure of the LED's - not failure of the lenses.

 

[manutd20]

Do you have a link to this TSB? Or to check eligible VIN

 

[seldomseen]

The TSB states: "Heat from the daytime running light (DRL) LEDs may damage the DRL lens. If the lens is damaged, it may appear that
some of the DRL LEDs are not working."

The most common issue I see is failure of the LED's - not failure of the lenses.

It's unlikely that Honda will subtilize the technical cause for why the LED isn't working. Premature failure of the LED has been established as a fact already. If the LED is completely or partially out, and an owner's car meets the model year, VIN, and coverage period criteria. Honda will most likely just replace the affected headlamp.

 

[CarGuyCar]

I reported to Honda that mine went out on my 2016 Accord. I had 41,000 miles. I had to replace the headlight assembly at my cost to get a state safety/emissions inspection. Can I submit a request to Honda for reimbursement now that it is covered under warranty?

 

[CakePops123]

I reported to Honda that mine went out on my 2016 Accord. I had 41,000 miles. I had to replace the headlight assembly at my cost to get a state safety/emissions inspection. Can I submit a request to Honda for reimbursement now that it is covered under warranty?

You should ask the dealership if your VIN# was eligible for the warranty extension. Please report back to us. Thanks!

 

[BLCKFLSH]

I reported to Honda that mine went out on my 2016 Accord. I had 41,000 miles. I had to replace the headlight assembly at my cost to get a state safety/emissions inspection. Can I submit a request to Honda for reimbursement now that it is covered under warranty?

If you get a notice, it will probably come with a form for reimbursement. I got reimbursed for a power steering hose on my 7th gen because I changed the hose myself before the recall came out.

 

[TH23]

The TSB states: "Heat from the daytime running light (DRL) LEDs may damage the DRL lens. If the lens is damaged, it may appear that
some of the DRL LEDs are not working."

The most common issue I see is failure of the LED's - not failure of the lenses.

I believe they are one in the same, really. I think what they are referring to as "the lens" is the plastic rod with prism optics that's used to spread the light output from the 2 LED's in the center of the DRL to the inner corner of the headlamp (the outer corner of the DRL has its own, single LED that isn't as prone to failure). The heat from the inner LED's in their 12V mode is great enough to melt the plastic rod and as a result, the melted plastic then "smothers" the LED's and causes them to fail from overheating.

I can see how the rod melting could cause the light to no longer pass through it, making it look as if the inner portion of the DRL is completely out. However, if the LED's were still functioning in that case there should be a massive bright spot in the middle of the DRL where those two LED's sit. My theory is that condition may exist briefly, but the LED's usually die before the owner notices that "the lens" has failed. I say that because the inner LED's have been completely dead on every headlamp I've seen with DRL failure.

Regardless, the solution to both scenarios is the same: replacement of the affected headlamps.

As for VIN # eligibility, I'm really hoping that they did that to exclude the LX models from the TSB (as they don't have the LED DRLs) and that there aren't any cars with the LED DRLs being excluded from this extended warranty. From what I've seen, they're all affected regardless of year (16 or 17), body style, or trim level.

 

[jreuschl]

Hopefully Honda will figure out a way to manufacture the replacements to be less likely to fail in the first place so it isn't a revolving door for owners.

 

[zroger73]

Hopefully Honda will figure out a way to manufacture the replacements to be less likely to fail in the first place so it isn't a revolving door for owners.

The headlights are most likely manufactured by an automotive supplier such as Stanley.

The supplier will likely pick up some or all of the cost for replacements.

Honda makes frames/bodies, body panels, engines, transmissions, and some plastic parts such as bumper covers. Most everything else is made by the same automotive suppliers that manufacture components for other automakers - Honda simply assembles all these parts to make a vehicle.

DRL's that failed before this failure become common, acknowledged, and remedied may likely fail again assuming they're of the original design.

However, you can bet that replacements going forward will be improved so that Honda and/or their supplier do not accrue additional expense.

 

[mdrossetti]

Has anyone had their headlights replaced yet due to DRL failure? I assume the bumper cover and grill needs to come off to do this, right?

Both of mine have failed, which is annoying, but I don't want to go through the hassle of replacing them only for the techs to damage the bumper or other parts? How easy/difficult is this to do?

 

[CakePops123]

Has anyone had their headlights replaced yet due to DRL failure? I assume the bumper cover and grill needs to come off to do this, right?

Both of mine have failed, which is annoying, but I don't want to go through the hassle of replacing them only for the techs to damage the bumper or other parts? How easy/difficult is this to do?

Plenty of people have successfully gotten their headlights replaced with no hassle. Yes the bumper and grille needs to come off, and there is a very small chance that the tabs could break. If you're so concerned with this why don't you request to have the service done by the master technician?

 

[Taz69]

My car will be three years old in October. I have had both of mine replaced already. I pulled the fuse after the second one because I knew they would blow agin. After seeing this TSB I turned them back on but not after thinking real hard on it. My BIG concern is if the trend is the same my bumper might have to be removed and put back another 6 times. My car is perfect I'm real OCD. If the dealer breaks, scratches, or looses any clips, tabs or breaks anything on my bumper don't they have to fix or replace said parts. If they are doing a warranty repair and damage anything are they liable to fix or replace what they broke?

 

[CakePops123]

My car will be three years old in October. I have had both of mine replaced already. I pulled the fuse after the second one because I knew they would blow agin. After seeing this TSB I turned them back on but not after thinking real hard on it. My BIG concern is if the trend is the same my bumper might have to be removed and put back another 6 times. My car is perfect I'm real OCD. If the dealer breaks, scratches, or looses any clips, tabs or breaks anything on my bumper don't they have to fix or replace said parts. If they are doing a warranty repair and damage anything are they liable to fix or replace what they broke?

Yes, it might be a warranty repair but they are still being paid to do it. There's usually a sign that reads "customer not allowed in the area due to insurance regulations." I believe all major repair shops carry insurance. If it's just breaking a few tabs, it might be hard to prove and they would at the least tell you if it does occur.
I have no experience in a dealership breaking my car, but I do have a trusted dealership that I stop by that has always been careful with my car and kind enough to walk me through what can go wrong.

 

[BLCKFLSH]

My car will be three years old in October. I have had both of mine replaced already. I pulled the fuse after the second one because I knew they would blow agin. After seeing this TSB I turned them back on but not after thinking real hard on it. My BIG concern is if the trend is the same my bumper might have to be removed and put back another 6 times. My car is perfect I'm real OCD. If the dealer breaks, scratches, or looses any clips, tabs or breaks anything on my bumper don't they have to fix or replace said parts. If they are doing a warranty repair and damage anything are they liable to fix or replace what they broke?

Did they break something when the first two were replaced? You paid for these DRLs when you bought the car, why not use them at least until they go out and YOU have to pay for the replacements? My original DRLs are still working. If they go out, and the warranty doesn't cover it, then I'll decide if I want to pull the fuse or pay for replacements myself. Daytime Running Lights are a good thing to have IMO, so as long as I can I will use them. If the dealership breaks something, they will have to fix it.