Honda’s best-selling cars are facing a massive recall

On October 1, American Honda released its sales figures for the third quarter of 2024, which it says are still strong despite setbacks such as supply issues due to preparation for electric vehicle production and Hurricane Helene .

Honda (HMC) It alone sold 333,105 cars, a gain of 10.2% over the same quarter last year. More than 95,601 of them were sold in September.

The top seller is the ultra-popular CR-V crossover SUV, which sold 29,217 units last month. In second place is the compact Civic, which sold 15,761 units.

Combined, the Civic and CR-V are essentially money printers for Honda, as they account for about 47 percent of Honda’s sales in the United States. However, a new development could threaten this viability.

2024 Honda CR-V Sport Touring Hybrid

Honda

Honda’s huge recall has been going on for years

According to new documents released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 1.7 million Honda and Acura vehicles are facing a safety recall for a critical safety issue.

The recall affects the 2022-2025 model years of some of the brand’s most popular models: the Honda Civic, CR-V, HR-V and Acura Integra. These vehicles are affected by a critical problem in their steering systems.

NHTSA documents say the recall stems from a problem with the steering gear assembly; the gear set that controls the direction of the front wheels.

Regulators say the faulty part may have been manufactured incorrectly and cause “excessive internal friction”, making the vehicle difficult to drive and increasing the chances of a crash.

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Commonly referred to as “sticky steering,” this problem appears to occur when drivers experience a brief loss of power steering assistance, causing the steering wheel to require much more force than is normally necessary.

Honda itself claimed to have received 10,328 warranty claims related to the problem since 2021. In March 2023, NHTSA’s Office of Defect Investigation (ODI) began looking into what they described as a “purported momentary increase defect management effort” in the new civic.

In November, ODI updated the survey to cover the CR-V and Integra, as the Civic shares parts with the other models.

Last year, NHTSA said it received reports of 13 crashes related to the problem. About 11 of those drivers who reported what happened said they lost control because they felt the steering wheel became much heavier and required much more effort to turn when leaving a highway or freeway .

The recall documentation did not mention any accidents, injuries or deaths caused by the steering defect, and estimates that only 1 percent of the nearly 1.7 million affected vehicles may actually have the problem.

Honda and Acura will send recall notification letters to affected car owners by November 18 and will service affected vehicles for the issue free of charge.

Honda Motor Co., which trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol HMC, was down 1.69% from the opening bell, trading at $31.45 at the close.

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