1.4 Million Honda Vehicles Are Under Investigation For Serious Engine Issues
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced it is opening an investigation into 1.4 million Honda and Acura vehicles in response to an increase in reports regarding issues with Honda’s V6 engine. In November 2023, Honda issued a recall on 249,000 vehicles in the US equipped with its 3.5-liter engines to address the problem. Those specific vehicles are 2016, 2018, and 2019 Honda Pilots, 2017 and 2019 Honda Ridgelines, 2018 and 2019 Odysseys, then the 2015 through 2020 Acura TLX and the 2016 through 2020 Acura MDX. Honda says it processed 1,450 warranty claims.
Honda
Japanese automaker Honda rose from the ashes of WWII and set about its business as a manufacturer of motorcycles initially, only launching its first car, the T360 kei truck, in 1963. Founder Soichiro Honda targeted the American market as the most important nut to crack, leading to generations of iconic nameplates like the Civic and Accord being among America’s best-selling passenger cars. Today, Hondas are renowned for their safety, practicality, and reliability, with a sprinkling of performance from models like the Civic Type R.
- Founded
- 24 September 1948
- Founder
- Soichiro Honda
- Headquarters
- Hamamatsu, Japan
- Owned By
- Publicly Traded
- Current CEO
- Toshihiro Mibe
Cranky Engines
The issue is down to a manufacturing defect in the V6 engine’s crankshaft, which can cause premature wear in the connecting rods, which can lead to connecting rod bearings failing, resulting in a seized engine. As it goes with engines, one small issue can quickly start a chain reaction of problems that end in catastrophic failure. According to the NHTSA report, its Office Of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 173 reports of connecting rod bearing failures that “display failures that have the characteristics consistent with those addressed” in the vehicles that weren’t included in November 2023’s recall. The investigation will seek to determine how much deeper the issue goes with Honda and Acura vehicles. Honda is, of course, aware of the investigation and says that it will continue to cooperate with the NHTSA.
What Honda And Acura Models Are Effected?
The probe is specifically looking into the 2016-2020 Honda Pilot, the 2018-2020 Honda Odyssey, the 2017-2019 Honda Ridgeline the 2016-2020 Acura MDX, and the 2018-2020 Acura TLX. This follows on the heels of another Honda recall, in October of 2024, with 2022 to 2025 model years of Acura Integra, Honda Civic, Honda Civic Hybrid, Honda CR-V, Honda CR-V Hybrid, the Honda CR-V Fuel Cell EV, and Honda HR-V for a steering issue that could lead to crashes. Owners of affected vehicles will be notified by mail on November 18.
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Honda’s J series naturally aspirated engine has been around and evolving since 1996 and, recent manufacturing defects aside, has been one of the brand’s unsung heroes, while its four-cylinder engines garner all the acclaim. Depending on the vehicle and application, it makes between 240 and 300 horsepower with, typically, 245-275 pound-feet of torque. As well as the cars listed in last year’s recall, it can be found more recently in the Honda Accord (up until 2017) and Passport, then the Acura RDX, RLX, and turbocharged versions are in the current Acura TLX Type S and MDX Type S.
