The United States Department of Transportation’s Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating up to 1.4 million Honda and Acura vehicles due to complaints of potential engine failures.
According to reports from the Associated Press, the NHTSA’s investigation covers Honda Pilot and Acura MDX models from 2016 to 2020, as well as Honda Odyssey and Acura TLX models from 2018 to 2020, and Honda Ridgeline models from 2017 to 2019.
On Monday, the agency released a document on its official website stating that vehicles with 3.5-liter V6 engines may experience failures in the connecting rod bearings, leading to complete engine failure. The connecting rod links the piston to the crankshaft, converting the piston’s vertical reciprocating motion into the crankshaft’s rotational motion to drive the wheels.
Honda recalled approximately 250,000 vehicles in November 2023 to address the same issue. However, the NHTSA has received 173 complaints from owners reporting connecting rod bearing failures in their vehicles that are not included in the previous recall scope. One owner reported an accident, but no injuries occurred.
The agency has announced that it is initiating a recall query to determine the severity of the issue in the vehicles not covered in the 2023 recall.
Honda has stated that they will cooperate with the NHTSA’s investigation.
In the explanation provided in the 2023 recall documents, Honda mentioned that there were 1,450 warranty claims related to the bearing issue, but no reports of injuries. Dealers will inspect and repair or replace engines as necessary.