[GlobeNewswire.com] January 21, 2025 – According to Reuters, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently announced that it is expanding and escalating its investigation of approximately 295,125 U.S. Honda vehicles. The investigation is targeting these vehicles’ automatic emergency braking systems, which have been cited for unintentional triggering issues that could cause the vehicle to decelerate quickly, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.
According to the NHTSA, the issue primarily affects 2019 through 2022 model year Honda Insight hybrids as well as Honda Passport SUVs. notably, the investigation has now been expanded to include 2023 Honda Passport vehicles. While the agency had previously launched a preliminary investigation in March, the upgrade means that the investigation will move into an engineering analysis phase, a necessary step before NHTSA can request a recall.
The NHTSA said they have received 106 complaints about this, including three crashes and two injuries. These complaints all point to a possible defect in Honda’s automatic emergency braking system.
For its part, Honda has analyzed the alleged defects and noted that some customers may not have sufficient knowledge of the braking system and its limitations. However, NHTSA’s investigation continues to further evaluate the safety and reliability of the system.