THE HONDA STIGMA

 As a Nigerian, you have most definitely come across a Honda in the exact same situation pictured below. This problem not only affected Honda but also it's luxury brand Acura, as they share parts.

The Honda Plague

It is a well known fact that of all the Japanese Car Brands, Honda and Toyota are the most popular. I have a family friend who owns four different Hondas. This is not uncommon, as Honda's reliability and fuel efficiency almost equals that of Toyota. Honda used to be the 'go to' choice for a first car until people began to notice that Honda front tires were pulling off indiscriminately. Now, what exactly is the cause of this problem? 

Honda's Ball and Socket Joint Set-up

The Honda problem of pulling front tires was caused by a flaw in their suspension lower ball joint. For my fellow medics in the house, we can all remember our shoulder joint as being a ball and socket joint, involving the head of the humerus fixed into the glenoid cavity of the scapula. As it is in our bodies, where extreme twisting of the shoulder joint can pop the ball of the upper arm bone out of the shoulder socket, so it is with the Honda suspension. The front lower ball joint usually separates causing the wheel to turn sideways in wheel well.

There was a fault in the design of the lower ball joint placement, as the weight of the vehicle would cause the ball to press against the retaining edge of the socket, resulting in metal on metal contact, causing the retaining edge to wear thereby separating the ball joint. This singular problem plagued Honda users and it still plagues Nigerian users because of bad road conditions making these occurrences even more. Also, most Nigerians do not buy brand new cars. Most cars in Nigeria are either Tokumbo (UK or US used) or Nigerian second hand. Hence, car parts like the ball and socket joints have already been through a lot and are bound to fail after a few months of ownership.

Honda Civic Type R (2022)

The good news is that the Honda stigma is slowly fading off in Nigeria. Honda was well aware of the flaw and corrected it. Hence, post-2011 Honda and post-2008 Acura hardly have the ball and socket joint issue. I am not a Honda Boy per se but the new Honda's are 'Sexy AF!'. I especially love the new Honda CR-V and the Civic Type R pictured above. Honda is presently killing it in the automobile world and it would be a shame to not be part of the it because of an old stigma. 

I will end this episode by saying that the dark days of Honda suspension issues are over. So, do not be scared to buy a Honda, just be on the safe side and get a post-2015 model. Thank you for reading and always remember to Turbo that engine.