US probes into more than 1.4 million Honda vehicles over engine failure

US probes into more than 1.4 million Honda vehicles over engine failure

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it received 414 reports of the issue in various Honda and Acura vehicles.

Honda issued the recall of 249,000 vehicles in 2023 to address a possible manufacturing defect in the engine crankshaft. (EPA Images pic)
WASHINGTON:
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is opening a probe into more than 1.4 million Honda vehicles sold in the US over concerns that connecting rod bearing failures in their engines could lead to complete engine failure.

In a letter dated Aug 20, the regulator said it received 414 reports of the issue in various Honda and Acura vehicles’ 3.5-liter V6 engines.

The investigation covers 2018-2020 model year Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2016-2020 Honda Pilot, 2018-2020 Honda Odyssey, and 2017-2019 Honda Ridgeline vehicles.

In 2024, the agency probed 1.4 million Honda vehicles on reports of serious engine issues following the Japanese automaker’s recall of 249,000 vehicles in November 2023.

Honda issued the recall to address a possible manufacturing defect in the engine crankshaft, which could cause the connecting rod bearing to prematurely wear and seize, leading to engine failure.

The US auto safety agency said in the Aug 20 letter it is opening another investigation to more thoroughly evaluate the scope and severity of the potential issue and to fully assess related safety concerns, following the closure of its previous probe.

NHTSA said that the high volume of engine failure reports in vehicles not covered by the previous investigation poses a potential safety risk.

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