This seems to be an interesting recurring theme.
I haven't tried to look back through the forum to corroborate this, but it seems to me there have been maybe a half-dozen wheel bearing failures AND it also seems like these have always been on the passenger side front. It seems highly unusual to have this sort of problem on vehicles with 'low' mileage (and all on one side seems particularly fishty). I don't care if the vehicle is 4,000 lbs, or 10,000 lbs. These bearings are designed accordingly and should not be failing. I also believe that a pothole is very unlikely to cause a bearing failure. Bearings gradually wear over a long period leading to failures. The wear loosens the bearing and this play accelerates the failure.
Either the bearing design is inadequate, or maybe there is an assembly line issue where they were getting torqued incorrectly on the right side? Interestingly, if the wheel bearing nuts are right-hand thread, the ones on the right side will have a tendency to tighten with wheel rotation. There is usually a castellated nut with a cotter-pin that prevents the nut from rotating, but an assembly process that isn't done properly can defeat a perfectly good design.
Maybe I will try and substantiate how many unique reports there have been, and whether my impression of predominantly right front is really true...
If you have time, I think a review and compilation of some of these issues would be useful (I see you already did it, thanks!). If I have early indications of a wheel bearing problem (completely unclear so far), it is the front passenger wheel.
I will take some pictures next time I take the wheel off. From what I remember the nut has a bendable part around the circumference that gets tapped (bent) into a single slot on the threaded part of the axle.
The bearing itself is less than $50, and the bearing along with the hub that carries the studs is just over $100 (both genuine Honda parts). I'm half tempted to change mine, even if for nothing more than a science/shop project. The problem is that to do a really professional job, as far as I can tell so far, it takes a press to remove the bearing in two steps, for some reason, first the center, then the outer part. Also, less of a concern, it takes removing three, probably castle nuts, to entirely remove the arm in which the wheel bearing resides, also the brake assembly, and the brake anti-lock sensor cable. There is no alignment, but I guess some damage, or problems, could occur if the new wheel bearing does not go straight in, doing some minor damage if replaced at a slight angle.
OTOH, I suppose being very low milage, my parts might come apart more easily compared to a bearing replacement on a well rusted 10 year old car.
I watched a few youtube videos showing a wheel bearing replacement on an Accord. One fellow used a shop press (a small commercial auto mechanic operation), the other just tapped it out using a large socket (32 or 36 mm) with a 5 lb hammer on the floor. (funny, reminds me of a study I heard about recently on how people who watch a Youtube video then think they can do the same project, but I did change an axle some years back, and on occasion, I have stayed at a Holiday Inn Express
[old ad where folks could do anything after staying at that hotel chain]).
