HRR2168VKA rear wheels locking up - dealer can't seem to fix

robert@honda · Jun 21, 2013

Ragnrok23 said:
Sorry to hijack this thread, but I just got a new HRX217HYA, mowed for the first time last night. My "passenger" side rear wheel kept slipping out of it's hight. I tried tightening the bolt on the outside, but it was already pretty tight. I see there are a lot of parts between the two points, so I was curious where I should concentrate my efforts on?

Thanks!

The HRX system is bit different that the HRR; inspect the adjuster plate and confirm it is fully seating into the notch on the adjuster arm. Since the mower is new, you may wish to have it inspected and evaluated by a servicing dealer. Any factory defects should be covered under warranty. Find a dealer in your area with this link:

Find A Honda Dealer

Ragnrok23 · Jun 21, 2013

robert@honda said:
The HRX system is bit different that the HRR; inspect the adjuster plate and confirm it is fully seating into the notch on the adjuster arm. Since the mower is new, you may wish to have it inspected and evaluated by a servicing dealer. Any factory defects should be covered under warranty. Find a dealer in your area with this link:

Find A Honda Dealer

Thank You! I did try it a few times, and it was always looser than the other 3 wheels

so even though I bought it at Home Depot, I can just take it to any dealer?

robert@honda · Jun 21, 2013

Ragnrok23 said:
Thank You! I did try it a few times, and it was always looser than the other 3 wheels

so even though I bought it at Home Depot, I can just take it to any dealer?

Officially, yes. Any Honda dealer is there to help with any Honda service issue.

That said, some dealers will be a little gruff about helping customer that did not buy from their shop. You may be put at the end of the line.

Better dealers will welcome any customers who come into there shop, no matter what.

Most accept the situation that Honda mowers will be bought from Home Depot but brought to them for service / warranty.

Ragnrok23 · Jun 21, 2013

robert@honda said:
Officially, yes. Any Honda dealer is there to help with any Honda service issue.

That said, some dealers will be a little gruff about helping customer that did not buy from their shop. You may be put at the end of the line.

Better dealers will welcome any customers who come into there shop, no matter what.

Most accept the situation that Honda mowers will be bought from Home Depot but brought to them for service / warranty.

Thanks! called local dealer, at first he said they were backed up 3 weeks, then after asking me about the problem said it would probably be a week

They are more of a boat dealership anyway, when I went to look to buy from them, they only had 1 honda in stock, and weren't even placing an order for another month, so i kinda had to do the HD route

bowersba · Jun 25, 2013

robert@honda said:
Your serial number IS in the affected range of mowers that may have a restart problem if the engine has not been fully warmed up. Per the bulletin, a typical problem can happen if you start a cold engine, then shut it down before it warms up, and try an restart it up again. The fix is to replace the thermo-wax cylinder, and use a proper amount of HondaBond HT to ensure correct heat transfer. Finally, the choke control assembly should be inspected and tested for any binding. New gaskets wrap up the job.

Your serial number shows the mower was sold at retail on 3/3/2012, with full factory warranty in effect until 3/2/2016. From what you've told me, it appears both problems should be covered under Honda's warranty, but double-check with your dealer to be sure and before authorizing any repairs.

Wow, can't believe I actually found these posts regarding the exact same problems I'm having with my HRR2168VKA and that they are recent! First, to robert@honda, based on your signoff note it appears you do this on your own time and with 500+ posts you are a lot of help to people. THANKS!!

I'm going to bring my mower to a dealer for these problems (locking wheels and trouble starting). It is obvious that these must be common problems so I ask, why doesn't Honda recall these mowers or send out a notice? You mention a bulletin but I didn't find this on the hondapowerequipment website.

Just a little more info on my situation... I also bought my mower in March 2012 and I had zero problems with it all last summer. In fact, I remarked to several people how it was much better than the more expensive Troy-Bilt I bought a couple of years earlier and finally dumped on someone else for a big loss. But this year is another story. The wheels just started locking up the last couple of times I mowed. But right from the start this season my mower will not start up when cold unless I jam something in the mechanism to (I guess) close the choke. It can still take 10 or more pulls. After running 30-60 seconds at low idle I remove the wedge and it fires up high revs and runs fine. I figure it is a problem with the auto choke that I was going to live with until after the season but with the wheel lock problem I think I will bring it to the dealer now. I definitely don't plan to take it all apart with all those small parts -- and I shouldn't have to -- and probably void the warranty in the process. Once it has been running and I stop it (OFTEN -- see below) to clear out underneath it I don't have a problem restarting it.

One other point, just a rant on today's mowers in general. Maybe technology has improved some things on mowers but no way the mowers of my youth (70's and 80's) stalled out so easily in long grass as this Honda and the Troy-Bilt. The mower before that was one I picked up well used for $25 and I used it for 10+ years without any major problems and it didn't stall out like these do and it was nothing special and didn't have a big motor. Oh, well! It seems a possible solution would be to put a super slick coating on the undercarriage. Has anyone heard of one? Seems there could be a lot of money in coming up with one if not already out there.

I welcome any feedback and recommendations. I live in Oak Ridge, TN (Knoxville area) if anyone knows a reliable Honda dealer there.

robert@honda · Jun 27, 2013

bowersba said:
It is obvious that these must be common problems so I ask, why doesn't Honda recall these mowers or send out a notice?

I live in Oak Ridge, TN (Knoxville area) if anyone knows a reliable Honda dealer there.

I hear your frustration. The good news is if your mower is still under warranty, any factory defects are generally covered.

Here are the facts about recalls vs. notices and warranty stuff:

A Recall Notice, under terms of the warranty and rules established by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, is only issued and distributed to registered customers when a product is determined to have a safety issue or risk. When a Recall Notice is issued, the company has a legal obligation to notify as many customers of effected units as possible, and to repair, replace, or refund for all the units, forever. Pretty serious stuff, but we are talking about safety, where a consumer may be injured or property could be damaged, etc. Not to be taken lightly, and not to be used if there just something that broke on a product.

Now if there is a non-safety problem, such as hard-starting, where Honda recognized it was a factory defect, Honda will issue a Service Bulletin to its dealer network and advise them how to make the repairs and what countermeasure parts / procedure to use to resolve the problem. In such cases, any products with in the effected group of products with the problem that are still under warranty are repaired at no cost to the customer. The key to making this system work, of course, is the consumer has to recognize there is a problem and take it to a dealer for evaluation.

Here are some recommend dealers in the Oak Ridge area:

Farragut Lawn and Tractor
13131 Kingston Pike
Knoxville, TN 37934-1008
(865) 966-6576

Mayo Garden Center
9629 Kingston Pike
Knoxville, TN 37922-2316
(865) 691-1230

Mayo Garden Center
620 E Emory Rd
Powell, TN 37849-3521
(865) 938-1010

Mayo Garden Centers
4718 Kingston Pike
Knoxville, TN 37919-5115
(865) 588-1351

Lafollette Honda
1408 Jacksboro Pike
La Follette, TN 37766-3269
(423) 562-5239

bowersba · Jun 27, 2013

robert@honda said:
I hear your frustration. The good news is if your mower is still under warranty, any factory defects are generally covered.

Here are the facts about recalls vs. notices and warranty stuff:

A Recall Notice, under terms of the warranty and rules established by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, is only issued and distributed to registered customers when a product is determined to have a safety issue or risk. When a Recall Notice is issued, the company has a legal obligation to notify as many customers of effected units as possible, and to repair, replace, or refund for all the units, forever. Pretty serious stuff, but we are talking about safety, where a consumer may be injured or property could be damaged, etc. Not to be taken lightly, and not to be used if there just something that broke on a product.

Now if there is a non-safety problem, such as hard-starting, where Honda recognized it was a factory defect, Honda will issue a Service Bulletin to its dealer network and advise them how to make the repairs and what countermeasure parts / procedure to use to resolve the problem. In such cases, any products with in the effected group of products with the problem that are still under warranty are repaired at no cost to the customer. The key to making this system work, of course, is the consumer has to recognize there is a problem and take it to a dealer for evaluation.

Robert, thanks for reminding me of the purpose of a recall and for the other information. I'll try to remember to post after getting service.

RicB · Jul 29, 2013

Here is an update on the mower. Since the first dealer was unable to solve the lock-up problem, on June 27, I took the mower to the only other authorized Honda service shop in this area. They had it for a little over a week, then after running it through a series of diagnostic steps determined that it was a faulty transmission. The transmission was backordered, but finally came in and I picked the mower up this last Friday (July 26). It had been raining that day, so I rolled the mower into my storage room. The following afternoon had dried enough to take it out for a trial run but when I went to roll it backwards, the lock-up was still occurring after doing nothing more than sitting overnight. I specifically asked the shop if they had lubed all areas of the axle and wheel that required lube and they stated that they had. I have noticed when it locks up, that I can lift the back of the mower and turn the wheels with my foot, but when I set it back down there is not enough traction with the ground, pulling backwards, to get it to turn. It seems that something is binding although sporadically. I was in Home Depot not long ago, in the garden section and noticed some power equipment that had been returned. One of the returns was an HRR 216. Playing around with it, it seemed to take much less effort to roll backwards than mine ever has, for whatever that is worth.
A couple of You Tube vids showing the situation.
vid 1
vid 2

ClydeO · Jul 31, 2013

I bought an HRR2169VKA today (07/30/13) and had the rear wheels lock up during a test run inside my garage. It has never tasted grass, but will be going back to Home Depot in the morning. Glad I found this thread.

NJsnapper · Jul 31, 2013

ClydeO said:
I bought an HRR2169VKA today (07/30/13) and had the rear wheels lock up during a test run inside my garage. It has never tasted grass, but will be going back to Home Depot in the morning. Glad I found this thread.

My HRR2167VKA is fine. No issues with locking up at all. Wonder if its only the version 8 & 9 ones?

HRR2168VKA rear wheels locking up - dealer can't seem to fix

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