The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced it has opened a preliminary investigation of several Honda vehicles. Many users have reported engines failing to restart on their own after a complete stop at a traffic light or intersection. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) reported it has received more than 1,000 complaints overall. Some of the users also complained about how a jump-start was required for the vehicle to continue. If you are someone who wants to know about the preliminary investigation, this article is for you. It brings you everything you need to know about millions of Honda vehicles undergoing investigation over engine issues.
Millions Of Honda Vehicles Under Investigation For Engine Issues: Models Which Are Under Investigation
The preliminary investigation focuses on several Honda vehicles, according to the announcement. These vehicles include the 2016-2025 Honda Pilot, 2018-2025 Honda Odyssey, 2019-2025 Honda Passport, 2020-2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2015-2025 Acura TLX, and 2016-2025 Acura MDX. The Office of Defects Investigation will focus on Honda’s Auto Idle Stop (AIS) system. This system is responsible for automatically shutting off the engine when the vehicle comes to a complete stop. This is done to improve fuel efficiency. It then restarts when the driver is ready to get into motion again.
What The Announcement Said?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration made an official announcement about the investigation. It said that the complaints received allege that the engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the Auto Start/Stop function engaged. Some of the complaints also stated that a jump-start was required for the vehicle to continue on the journey. According to the official announcement, around 2,209,466 Honda vehicles are under investigation for engine issues.
Issue Causes Crash Or Vehicle Fire
According to NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation, it has received around 1,384 reports of the issue. This also reportedly includes four incidents that led to a crash or vehicle fire, and two reports of injuries as well. In the month of January 2023, the company issued service bulletins addressing the failure to restart engines in several impacted vehicles. However, in the preliminary investigation announcement released recently, NHTSA stated it continues to receive complaints of AIS’s failure to restart. Many complaints also stated that the campaign countermeasures had been completed.
What Follows The Investigation?
According to the announcement from NHTSA, the engineering analysis was opened to further consider the potential safety defect. This will include gathering more data regarding Honda’s service campaign efficacy. The agency also stated that it aims to complete the investigation in 18 months. This will determine whether a recall is warranted. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation also expanded the scope of the evaluation. The investigation will now include all the vehicles addressed in Honda’s previous service bulletins, along with the latest models. The administration stated that the vehicles that are substantially similar to the vehicles covered by the service campaign will also be included in the investigation.
