Recall: Honda Marine BF250 iST outboard motor
Possibility of unexpected gear shift and the engine may remain locked in forward or reverseHonda Marine has recalled all BF250 iST outboard engines sold from January 1 to December 10, 2016, in Australia due to the possibility that these engines will involuntarily shift gears and remain in gear despite trying to locate neutral with the gearshift.
The recall notice issued by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says owners of the Honda BF250 iST outboard engines are "strongly recommended to stop using their motors until they have been repaired."
Intelligent shift and throttle (iST) is a proprietary Honda drive-by-wire throttle and shift system and a factory fitted option on the BF250, which is a 3.6L V6 configuration.
Due to a loose or intermittent ground wire connection of the iST gearshift actuator, the position sensor may not recognise the true neutral position.
The recall notice also says there is a “remote” possibility for the outboard motor to shift unexpectedly into forward or reverse gear while the control head is in the neutral position, causing the vessel to move abruptly.
Additionally, the high-horsepower BF250 outboard engine may then remain locked in gear when the operator shifts into neutral from forward or reverse gear.
According to the recall notice, replacement parts “should” be available from March 2017 and owners of affected motors will be contacted when parts are available.
The recall notice states that owners should take their motors to an authorised Honda marine dealer for repair.
Owners are strongly recommended to stop using their motors until they have been repaired.
We could find no additional information or notification about this issue on the Honda Marine website at the time of writing, with the recall notice coming through the ACCC's Product Safety Australia webpage.
Further information is available from Honda Marine and Power Equipment's Customer Relations Department by phoning 03 9270 1348 or emailing customer.relations@honda.com.au.
Honda BF250 iST owners should heed and read in full the
Honda BF250 iST recall notice.
We reprint this notice in the interests of boating safety.
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