NHTSA investigates Honda braking issues, second time in two years

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is launching a preliminary probe into issues with the emergency braking system in some Honda vehicles after 46 complaints were filed with the Office of Defects Investigation. The NHTSA report released on March 11 stated the issue involves the 2019-2022 models of the Honda Passport SUV and Honda Insight hybrid electric car, which amounts to 250,712 vehicles. The probe is the first step in an NHTSA investigation and reviews consumer complaints and manufacturer service bulletins to look for safety defects.

Honda’s braking system is a driver-assist technology made to detect danger to avoid a front-end collision and reduce the severity of impact by warning the driver to press the brakes. Honda says its Honda Sensing safety suite, including its Collision Mitigation Braking System, is standard on many new Honda models. The issue at hand with the Passport SUV and Insight models is the inadvertent activation of the automatic braking system, which increases the risk of collision, injury and property damage, according to NHTSA.

Three fires, crashes and two injuries

The 46 complaints included three instances of fires or crashes and two injuries in which drivers said the braking system applied the emergency brakes in their Honda vehicle without reason. One report explained that the braking issue happened at random when the driver was alone in the vehicle driving down a smooth road and again when they turned a corner in the rain, leading to an accident with two flat tires and wheel damage.

Another Honda driver complained that the emergency braking system had applied itself and veered to the right when the technology sensed a truck traveling on the driver’s side. The braking issue caused the vehicle to swipe the curb, leading to tire and wheel damage. A third complaint detailed how a dealer said the erroneous braking was caused by dirt smeared over the car logo positioned in front of the radar. However, the driver did not believe it was dirty and alleged the problem persisted even after they cleaned the logo.

Second probe in two years

This is the second time Honda’s braking system has come under fire in recent years. In February 2022, federal regulators investigated unexpected braking complaints against Honda, which involved more than 1.7 million CR-V SUVs and Accord sedans, reported Consumer Reports. In this probe, 2018-2019 models racked up 278 consumer complaints that the vehicles’ automatic emergency braking (AEB) system unexpectedly braked while in motion, and the NHTSA was aware of six collisions with minor issues linked to the issue.

AEB systems detect vehicles and other obstacles and then automatically slow the car down to prevent or lessen the severity of a crash. These technologies are proven to reduce crashes and save lives, and most new vehicles employ AEB systems, according to Consumer Reports.

Honda is cooperating with the NHTSA and has opened an internal investigation into the latest braking concerns with the Honda Insight and Honda Passport SUV models.

Related:

• With premiums on the rise, which vehicles offer the best value?
• A crash course in how auto technology is changing claims
• These are the least expensive cars to insure