10.0
really awfulTypical Repair Cost:
no data
Average Mileage:
114,900 miles
Total Complaints:
2 complaints
Most common solutions:
- it needs a new or rust-free used frame (1 reports)
- not sure (1 reports)
suspension problem
Helpful Websites About 1997 Honda Passport frame is rusting out
problem #1
2009Mar 04
Passport LX 3.2L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 99,800 miles
The body remains in great shape. Didn't expect the frame to rust out, especially on an SUV that was only used on the highway
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2004Jan 01
Passport LX 3.2L V6
Honda (or Isuzu, actually) powdercoated the frames, spare tire rack, side steps, and many of the suspension components on these cars. Powdercoat coatings are applied directly to bare steel and are "fired" or baked on. Unfortunately this baking process is no substitute for rust inhibitive primer. When heated, the powder "fuzes" into a hard "shell" of a coating like eggshell or tooth enamel - but - it doesn't flex worth a damn. When applied to something that does flex, it simply cracks. That's where water enters and works unabated on the bare steel underneath until it rusts the steel completely away.
I bought my Passport new in '97 and still have it. I had to park it a few years ago (inside my climate controlled garage) when I discovered huge holes in various places on the frame making it unsafe for my wife to drive. I also noticed significant rust disintegration to my front sway bar and control arms. It was immediately apparent to me what had happened and why.
Other than the frame damage, the vehicle is in perfectly good condition. There isn't so much as a molecule of visible rust on the entire body; underneath or anywhere! If it were true that abuse is what caused the frame to rot, how do you explain a totally rust free body mounted to that same frame? You can't. The difference between the body sheet metal and the frame metal is this; the bodies were primed with acid-etch primer prior to the final finish and the frames were "painted" with a one-step, primerless, powdercoat final finish. Look what happened.
I restore concours quality collector cars for a living - especially body shell restoration. I wouldn't use powdercoating on a paper weight. It's a time bomb. Those of us who bought these particular cars and kept them long enough know this.
My Passport is/was a great vehicle and I'd like to get it back on the road. I've had it on most of the adrenaline-rush Jeep trails in Colorado and it performs as good as the Jeeps. I just want to get a new frame for it, prepare and paint it myself the RIGHT way, and get on with things. Guess what - Honda shows the frames as still having an available part number. However, when you try to order one, they tell you you'll have to join a waiting list with no estimate of delivery whatsoever. And of course, you have to pay the $2.6K plus bill in advance. Thus, here I sit wondering what to do.
Honda, you guys took the Isuzu (Rodeo) shortcut into the SUV market so you could buy time to develope the Pilot. It wasn't your fault that Isuzu chose to use powdercoat on the production line but when you stuck your own nameplates and badges all over them, you made them your responsibility. Your refusal to make this problem right is something most of us have come to expect of our domestic manufacturers. You should at the very least make the frames available. There are many more of us out here with this problem than you think. Man Up, Honda!
P.S Toyota had the same issue with their mini-pickups and they are making good on their mistakes. Is Toyota a better company than Honda? What say you, Honda?
Chris K.
Stilwell, Kansas, USA
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