Well, after being on the planet for so long and a mechanic's career spanning more than 40 years I have seen pretty much every manufacturer I know of totally screw up a design every now and again.
I've seen instances of something that works almost flawlessly be redesigned to result in a practically useless product! Completely inexplicable and unforgivable but it happens.
That's where some of those "old sayings" come from. As in; "if it ain't broke don't fix it" and...well....I can't think of another one....I'M OLD after all!
But, you are correct in my opinion. Honda has had a world renowned reputaion for quality and reliability. But if these engines have had repeated failure that isn't due to neglect or abuse then they indeed should step up and make their customers whole. A company that won't respond accordingly then obviously doesn't DESERVE that good reputation.
Sadly, though, the decision isn't made by a sense of duty or morals. It usually comes down to a monetary calculation made in a corner office of a big building someplace by people that have never turned a wrench or ever sat at a drafting board. I have my own "old saying" for when that happens: "Dollars & No Sense".
As far as the defective FORD Pinto goes, it's worst fault was that the fuel tank was mounted in such a way that, if the car were rear ended, the tank could rupture and gasoline could enter the interior and douse the occupants. The Pinto was also ugly and, thus, not many are still being driven.
On the other hand, the FORD Mustang was built with a very similar fault called "drop in tank". The Mustang, though, was cute and are now collectible. Many are still on the road even though the danger is still there. I might have been worried had I known about it when I owned my '65 when I was 17 years old ;>)
I've seen instances of something that works almost flawlessly be redesigned to result in a practically useless product! Completely inexplicable and unforgivable but it happens.
That's where some of those "old sayings" come from. As in; "if it ain't broke don't fix it" and...well....I can't think of another one....I'M OLD after all!
But, you are correct in my opinion. Honda has had a world renowned reputaion for quality and reliability. But if these engines have had repeated failure that isn't due to neglect or abuse then they indeed should step up and make their customers whole. A company that won't respond accordingly then obviously doesn't DESERVE that good reputation.
Sadly, though, the decision isn't made by a sense of duty or morals. It usually comes down to a monetary calculation made in a corner office of a big building someplace by people that have never turned a wrench or ever sat at a drafting board. I have my own "old saying" for when that happens: "Dollars & No Sense".
As far as the defective FORD Pinto goes, it's worst fault was that the fuel tank was mounted in such a way that, if the car were rear ended, the tank could rupture and gasoline could enter the interior and douse the occupants. The Pinto was also ugly and, thus, not many are still being driven.
On the other hand, the FORD Mustang was built with a very similar fault called "drop in tank". The Mustang, though, was cute and are now collectible. Many are still on the road even though the danger is still there. I might have been worried had I known about it when I owned my '65 when I was 17 years old ;>)