American Honda’s newest Body Repair News highlights new body and vehicle technologies that may affect repairs on its 2026 Passport Series. 

John Peixoto, American Honda Wholesale Marketing assistant manager, refers to the documents as hidden gems. 

“Whenever there is a new model that comes out, American Honda publishes this document,” Peixoto said. 

The document, which can be found whithin the Honda Service Information System (SIS), can often  be overlooked by shops, he said. He added that American Honda is taking steps to further publicize the Body Repair Information documents. The document is publicly available at the home page of the Honda SIS without the need of a subscription.

The six-page 2026 Passport Series document covers the following topics: 

• • Available trims
  • Colors and their codes
  • Body construction and high strength steel content
  • Front bumper beam removal and installation
  • Service mode for the hood
  • Removing and installing the headliner 
  • Driving support features 
  • Blind spot information (BSI) 

Peixoto said the documents are geared to all repairers such as body shops. independent repair facilities and dealerships.  

One item on the document that repair shops should take note of is the locations of the high strength steel that is 340 MPA (megaparscal) and ultra-high-strength-steel that is 980 MPa or higher, he said. For example, he said, the 1500 MPa ultra-high-strength steel found on the Passport’s door ring. 

“We have very specific repair considerations for the ultra-high-strenght-steel door ring,” Peixoto said. “Replacement of the ultra-high-strength-steel components requires specific welding methods.” 

Honda has been addressing the impact of improper repairs on door ring for years, having displayed the damage of a prior-model vehicle improperly repaired from sectioning on an ultra-high-strength door ring unit following a crash test at the July 2015 NACE in Detroit. 

Peixoto noted that the document states two assistants are needed to help the repairer during the removal and installation process of a headliner. The document states one technician needs to be on each side and one at the rear or front during removal.

Peixoto also pointed out important ADAS information and considerations are also reflected within the document.

“We try our best to put out a position statement to cover many of the hot topics between the body shop and insurance company,” Peixoto said. “Typically, an insurance company requests documented justification from the OEM that says A, B and C. We don’t have every position statement and this document, at times, can reflect some of that needed information that they need when discussing repairs with an insurance company and vehicle owners.”

The document also gives instructions on how to open the hood further than the standard 45 degrees for the purpose of service by disconnecting the hood support strut from the pivot ball mounted on the hood. 

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Feature image courtesy of Honda. Emedded photos from Honda Body Repair News.