Honda Recalls Certain GL1800 Models

A problem wuth rear brake drag has prompted American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (Honda) to recall certain model year GL1800, GL1800A and GL1800B motorcycles.

By: Gary Ilminen

Nov 9, 2015 at 3:00am ET

Comment

A problem with some Honda Gold Wing models that may cause the rear brakes to drag after release has prompted American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (Honda) to recall certain model year 2001-2010 and 2012-2015 GL1800, 2001-2005 GL1800A and 2013-2015 GL1800B motorcycles.

The rear brake dragging may increase the risk of a crash and could even generate enough heat to result in a fire according to recall information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

What You Can Do About It

According to the recall announcement, Honda will notify owners. Dealers will replace the secondary brake master cylinder and the rear brake master cylinder, and flush the brake fluid free of charge. Honda has not yet announced a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-866-784-1870. Honda's number for this recall is JV6. Note: This recall supersedes recall 14V-472. The defect notice announcement indicates 145,219 units are affected.

Honda’s notification to dealers states: “Under conditions where the brake fluid is not replaced according to the maintenance schedule, deposits may form within the brake fluid, leading to component malfunction within the secondary master cylinder, which may cause the rear brake to drag.”

Even though this part of the announcement seems to suggest that inadequate maintenance may trigger the problem, the announcement goes on to say, “A redesigned secondary master cylinder with new internal valving is now available to correct this condition.” This seems to suggest a design issue with the original secondary master cylinder assembly. In any event, the part will be replaced free of charge, including the required DOT 4 fluid.