NHTSA Launches Investigation into 2.2 Million Honda and Acura Vehicles

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) precocious announced it has launched an probe into 2,209,466 Honda and Acura vans, trucks, and SUVs. The affected models see fashionable ones similar the Honda Pilot and Acura MDX.

The probe is focused connected the automatic start-stop diagnostic successful these vehicles. This strategy is designed to prevention substance by automatically shutting disconnected the motor astatine agelong stops oregon lights, restarting it erstwhile the brake is released oregon the accelerator is pressed.

NHTSA Launches Investigation into Honda and Acura

The affected Honda models see the 2016-2025 Pilot, 2018-2025 Odyssey, 2019-2025 Passport, and the 2020-2025 Ridgeline truck. The Acura lineup is little impacted, with models including the 2015-2025 TLX and the 2016-2025 MDX SUV.

NHTSA filings amusement galore lawsuit complaints astir the motor failing to restart aft coming to a implicit stop, specified arsenic astatine a postulation airy oregon intersection, erstwhile the car start-stop strategy is active. Some drivers reported needing a leap commencement to get their vehicles moving again aft the motor unopen down.

Honda has been addressing this contented for immoderate time, with NHTSA reports connected the substance dating backmost to 2022. The administration’s Office of Defects Investigation archetypal looked into the occupation successful the 2016-2019 Pilots.

In 2023, Honda issued work bulletins to code the aforesaid contented successful the affected Pilot models and expanded the hole to see 2015-2020 TLXs, 2016-2020 MDXs, 2019-2022 Passports, and 2020-2023 Ridgelines. As portion of the remedy, Honda extended warranties, replaced starters, and updated conveyance bundle wherever applicable.

Despite these efforts, the contented continued for immoderate owners. NHTSA filings amusement that the occupation persisted adjacent aft the bundle update and starter centrifugal replacement, with 1,384 incidents reported to the NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, including 4 crashes oregon fires and 2 lawsuit injuries.

How-To Geek's Take

Given the ongoing complaints contempt Honda’s attempted remedies, on with the reported fires, crashes, and injuries, it’s not astonishing that the NHTSA and Honda person expanded their probe into the start-stop issue. While nary caller callback has been issued yet, it’s apt 1 volition travel to code immoderate further issues uncovered during the investigation.

Source: NHTSA