US: Over 2M Honda cars under investigation for engine malfunctions
What's the story
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched an engineering analysis of more than 2.2 million Honda vehicles.
The move comes after several complaints about the cars' engines failing to restart.
The problem mainly occurs when the Auto Idle Stop feature is activated and the vehicle halts completely at a traffic light or intersection.
Vehicle models
Affected models and reported incidents
The issue of engines failing to restart has been reported across several Honda models.
These include the 2016-2019 Honda Pilot, 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, and the 2019-2022 Honda Passport, according to NHTSA.
The problem also impacts the 2020-2023 Honda Ridgeline vehicles.
Till now, NHTSA has received reports of up to 1,348 incidents associated with this faulty engine restart problem.
Company statement
Honda's response to the investigation
Honda has acknowledged the issue, saying it is in contact with NHTSA and will continue to cooperate as the investigation moves forward.
In January 2023, Honda had issued a service bulletin to address the issue in select vehicles and provided repair instructions.
But NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation continues to receive reports from consumers about Auto Idle Stop failure even after attempted repairs.
Data collection
NHTSA's engineering analysis will also consider newer models
The engineering analysis by NHTSA will assess the potential safety defect and gather additional data on Honda's service campaign effectiveness, the agency says.
The investigation will also consider newer model year vehicles.
Till now, four crashes or fires have been associated with this issue, leading to two injuries but no deaths.