Excessive rusting on steel chassis of 1997 Honda Passport to the point where it is unsafe to drive vehicle. Honda has recall on '98 and above for frame rust issues but not on 95-97 models. If this vehicle is in an accident where it is hit broadside from passenger side, the frame is so rusted (can put whole fist into it) that it will most likely split the car in half. Honda wants to charge me a diagnostic fee to determine if they are willing to do anything with the vehicle. Obviously, others have experienced the same issue (NHTSA's internal reference number : 10262212 ). where this gentleman seemed to be original owner referencing no offroading history, I cannot vouge since I just bought the vehicle for my daughter to drive to college. At this time, I have parked the vehicle and prohibited her from driving it.

- Westerville, OH, USA

The contact owns a 1997 Honda Passport. The contact stated that after taking the vehicle in for routine service, the mechanic advised him that the frame was severely rusted to perform any repairs. They also advised that he should not drive the vehicle because of the severity of the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted and the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

- Buffalo, NY, USA

1997 Honda Passport - body in excellent shape. Interior - very nice. Frame is in horrific condition. The complete frame is extremely rusted from front to rear and in a very weakened state. Transmission cross-member support at frame is also rusted very bad. Front cab supports rusted very bad. The rear spring attachment, left side, rusted and collapsed. It came unattached from the badly rusted frame. Right side, rear, appears in very bad shape also. This frame has been patched and welded many times. It will continually need to be patched and repaired. Afraid if I hit a pothole, the suspension will rip away from the frame due to the severe rusted condition of the frame. Notice many Passports in auto salvage yards with rusted frames. Sample frame pieces from Passports need to be cut out and the metal analyzed for quality of materials that were used. I believe manufacturer is well aware of this situation and should stand behind this poor product and recall by sending notice to all owners of Passports. Ford had frame issues and rusted body issues in the late 60's and early 70's and I believe it was from imported steel that was being used. Ford took care of their customers by making the necessary repairs for them. I witnessed this rust issue that Ford had as I was a technician for Ford at the time. Please do not disregard this complaint from me and the many other Honda Passport owners who are afraid to sell or trade in their SUVS. Something must be done quickly!!

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

The entire frame is rusted through and basically deteriorating. I can look underneath my vehicle and see holes where the metal should be and see it flaking off. I could easily poke a hole right through it on just about any point on both the front and the rear. It has been like this for a few years now but it has gotten worse, to the point where I don't think it is really safe to drive. I saw on the news recently where people have been having problem with these vehicles literally falling apart and breaking in two. The news story stated the years 1998-2008 but my 1997 is exactly the same underneath.

- Floyds Knobs, IN, USA

I took my "97 Honda Passport to the mechanic to have my water pump looked at. While the car was on his lift, he noticed a considerable amount of rust on the frame. There were places where the frame was rusted out completely. I have never used this SUV off road and have maintained it well. A friend of mine also had a Passport like mine that did the same thing.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

While having exhaust work done the mechanic noticed the frame on my 1997 Honda Passport was rusted. The dealer described it as 100% rusted on the passenger side (about 1 foot long behind the front tire) and 50% on the driver side. The dealer said the car is not safe to drive and could cause a fatal accident. I reported the problem to Honda America and received a call from the local dealer stating that Honda was going to do something, but needed to have all the repair costs documented. They said it was unlikely that anything attached to the frame, like brake and fuel lines could be reused. I then received the following phone message from Honda America: ''this is micki calling from american Honda customer service.... the body shop did perform a very through inspection and, based on their findings american Honda would not be offering assistance on this repair. Our main concern was to determine whether or not the rust that has rusted the frame was caused by an abnormality in the way the car was designed or the materials that were used. And when they looked underneath they realized that the entire underbody of the car has been corroded by road salt '' ah, brake lines, tran.. cooler lines, everything has been affected by these very corrosive '' highly corrosive materials used. They certainly do not recommend that you drive the car they don't feel that it is safe to drive, but this is not an issue that american Honda would assist you in the repair given that it was something that has occurred in the environment. I didn't find any other instances of rusting frames for the this Passport and Honda would certainly have been aware of those if that had been the issue that it was like a design defect and I do know that you live in an area that is the rust belt of the United States... in effect, Honda says this car is not safe after 7 years on Michigan roads, even though the body has no rust and it runs well.

- Swartz Creek, MI, USA

I bought the car at 74,671 miles, it was burning 1/2 quart every 500 miles. At 80,044 mi the engine was rebuilt with new rings, valve seals and the whole works. The engine is still burning the same amount of oil, and have troubles with other things. Such as belts, crank pulley, instruments,4X4 valves and frame corrosion.

- Monroe, MI, USA