Reimbursement for work already done related to Honda recall?

May 27, 2021 10:25 AM

My 2009 Honda Fit has been recalled (again) for an issue where the boots sealing the axle bearing can leak causing the axle to corrode and break. This exact thing happened to my car last year and I spent a lot of money getting the axle replaced. My mechanic at the time said that he fixes this issue on Hondas a lot. Can I get money from Honda for this?

Honda is asking me to bring in my car and have the boots and axles inspected and replaced if needed. That's great but is there any chance of me getting money from them for the work I did in 2020? I have a number to call at Honda but I wanted to get an idea if it was worth pursuing.

posted by octothorpe to Travel & Transportation (7 answers total)

I don't know anything about this specific situation (though I happen to also own a Honda Fit) but in the past when I had a massive unexpected problem with my previous Honda (a Civic), I wrote a letter to Honda of America and basically said "I've always owned Hondas, I plan to continue to own Hondas, but this car shouldn't have needed this massive repair" and they did indeed pay for it.
posted by BlahLaLa at 10:44 AM on May 27, 2021 [5 favorites]

Was the work done by a Honda dealer or private mechanic? I would call Honda America HQ and tell them you already had the work completed and ask for reimbursement. They may cover all or part depending on a cost. Hope you have the documentation showing the work was done.
posted by tman99 at 10:47 AM on May 27, 2021

My experience with previous recalls like this one was that it was much easier to get a refund for this sort of work if you had the service done at a dealer (and not an independent shop) and the work was coded in the expected way. If the work wasn't coded the right way, or if you went to an independent shop, they may make it harder to get (all) your money back.
posted by fedward at 10:49 AM on May 27, 2021 [2 favorites]

When I had a recall on my Mazda, there was a checkbox for reimbursement if you already had the repair done yourself. So definitely worth requesting.
posted by DoubleLune at 11:09 AM on May 27, 2021 [1 favorite]

Honda definitely does reimburse things like this sometimes, sometimes due to their extending various warranty items at the behest of a settlement. About 10 years ago Honda reimbursed me for repeated, expensive repairs I was dealing with due to known IMA battery and O2 sensor issues in my model. So it's worth checking whether any settlements have been awarded due to the issue you're experiencing, and if not, getting in touch with Honda directly.
posted by limeonaire at 1:31 PM on May 27, 2021

I got a recall letter for my 2015 Honda Fit which said if I'd already had the service done, they would reimburse it. Like you, I had the repair done in 2020 (but at a Honda dealership). I submitted the form they provided, got a call from Honda Financial Services to confirm the submission a few weeks later and am now awaiting the check. Assuming the check arrives, I would assume you could do the same thing. As I recall, the letter said even if the work was done by a private mechanic, they would still provide reimbursement, but maybe not for the full amount.
posted by jaden at 7:25 PM on May 27, 2021

The notice you received from Honda about the recall should have instructions on how to get reimbursed if you already had the work done at your expense. At least, the notice we got from Honda for the same recall did.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:29 PM on May 27, 2021