Honda Issues Batch Recall For Acura TLX Vehicles And Blames It On Robots
Powered by a 272-hp turbocharged inline-four or the boss 355-hp twin-turbo V-6 Type-S (all-wheel drive standard), the 2022 Acura TLX may be a fantastic car, even if sedans have fallen out of favor. Nonetheless, according to a NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) filing by Honda of America is affecting a batch of the sports sedan from a single production date, with a grand total of 19 vehicles. Yes, you heard right. That's probably less than the number of Ford Broncos sold at a large dealership per day, let alone made at a Ford facility.
Still, the safety recall affecting production date September 1, 2022 warrants attention. It covers all of the 19 TLXs manufactured on that date, even if Honda reckons 18 (95 percent) are affected.
The recall targets the OEM Bridgestone Turanza EL440 235/50R18 97V tires, not because the tires themselves are defective, but due to the loading/sorting robots used at a Bridgestone plant. It was found that "a protective plastic “shoe” at the base of a robotic arm used to unstack tires (depalletizer) rotated out of position. This exposed a sharp edge on the robotic arm of the depalletizer to the inside of certain tires." The document explains that the sharp edge could cause some of the installed tires on the TLXs to sustain cuts and that "can expose body ply cords or bead wires, which could cause the tire to lose air or lead to damage within the tire."
Thankfully, there have not been any service reports or warranty claims related to the issue, but it goes without saying that driving on potentially compromised tires could result in crashes, injuries, or worse. Also thankfully, the fix is an easy one. Owners just have to set an appointment with their dealer to have the tires inspected. They will be replaced once it's determined that the Bridgestones are part of the affected batch.
In the meantime, said depalletizer robot has been retired and has since been replaced by a human.
