The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has initiated a recall query for select Honda and Acura models, potentially affecting an estimated 1.4 million vehicles, the agency announced on Friday.
The NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) reported receiving 173 Vehicle Owner Questionnaire (VOQ) reports which detailed failures of connecting rod bearings in Honda and Acura cars equipped with 3.5-liter V6 engines.
The affected models include the 2018–2020 Acura TLX, 2016–2020 Acura MDX, 2016–2020 Honda Pilot, 2018–2019 Honda Odyssey, and 2017–2019 Honda Ridgeline, according to the recent announcement.
The investigation comes in the wake of multiple recalls by Honda Motor Company over the past few years, concerning engine-related issues.
The agency reported these failures share similar issues to those addressed in a previous recall (23V-751) but fall outside its scope, so they’re launching an investigation “to assess the severity of the alleged defect in vehicles” not included in the previous recall.
In December, Honda’s American unit announced a global recall of approximately 4.5 million vehicles due to potential fuel pump failures, including 2.54 million vehicles in the United States alone, adding to previous recalls of 628,000 U.S. vehicles in 2021 and 136,000 in 2020 for the same issue.
The December recall included both Honda and Acura models between 2018-2020, including the Honda Accord, Civic, CR-V, and Odyssey, as well as several Acura models including the MDX, RDX, RLX, TLX, NSX, and ILX models. At the time, Honda said no injuries had been reported but it did receive 4,042 warranty claims related to the issue since 2018.
The month prior in November, the automaker had already initiated another recall which affected nearly 250,000 vehicles in the U.S. due to engine bearing failures. That recall covered models from 2015 to 2020, including Honda Pilot SUVs, Odyssey minivans, Ridgeline pickup trucks, and certain 2015 to 2020 Acura TLX models and 2016 to 2020 Acura MDX SUVs.
In documents filed with the NHTSA, Honda said the connecting rod bearings in the engine could wear and seize up, damaging the engines and potentially causing a fire, which they admitted was due to a manufacturing mistake.
The current recall query will look to determine if these issues extend beyond the vehicles already recalled.
Honda owners are advised to stay informed about any developments regarding this recall query. The NHTSA typically updates its website with new information as investigations progress. Vehicle owners can also check for recalls for their specific vehicle by entering their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on the NHTSA’s website.