Honda is under a lot of pressure after a recent report from a federal investigation. About 2 million Hondas and Acuras could be affected by the investigation. A truly sizable number by any standards. Even for a company with the history and heritage of Honda, this is disastrous. With most car companies preferring to find and rectify any faults in their cars before the government gets involved, the investigation is a serious problem for Honda. While the investigation is ongoing, more than a thousand complaints have been filed with the entity conducting the investigation.
Are there really 2 million cars affected? How to know which ones?
The cars that have been reported to have the problem feature a wide range of vehicles. Such as the 2016-2019 Honda Pilot, 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2019-2022 Honda Passport and 2020-2023 Honda Ridgeline. The amount of cars affected are over 2 million. So the potential for losses at Honda is huge. The investigation began after the federal government received reports of injuries occurring because of the fault.
The fault is reported to be that the car does not restart after the auto start-stop feature turns the engine off when the car is stationary. Which has led to a whole lot of people being stuck at traffic intersections. A very dangerous and potentially fatal position to find yourself. With a large amount of reports regarding the fault, the federal government has been forced to intervene and investigate the matter.
As they should when it comes to any fault that can and indeed has, resulted people actually getting hurt. Recalls happen all the time. But this is not a recall. This has gone a little further. Recalls are issued mostly by the manufacturer, not investigated by the government. So how far will this investigation go in their findings? The aforementioned injuries mean that the matter is being taken seriously and taxpayer dollars are being used to investigate.
Can the iconic Japanese car maker recover from such a damning investigation?
Honda has long led the way in reliable cars that were cheaper than their American or European competitors. Their position as an alternative to the expensive American cars being made in Detroit made them hugely popular in the States. Especially at a time where the average American consumer was looking for a car that would be cheap to buy, run, and fix if it broke.
Honda had all the requirements to be a success in America. And they were. Their success cemented them in the American market and led the company to massive financial return. This allowed them to reinvest in alternative fuels like hydrogen and pursue the ever more popular EV market. And for a while, it was good. They easily led the automotive sector in hydrogen technology.
However, since EA25004 investigation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association was published, the findings have the Japanese automotive giant in panic mode. And while it must be said, this is not a recall, merely an investigation, the possible ramifications are enormous for Honda. Can they fix the issue before any more people get hurt? Apparently they have known about the issue for a while now.
Will the investigations findings impact the sales of Honda in the US?
What makes the situation even more concerning is that Honda are in no position to deal with something of this magnitude at the moment. Their attention has been focused elsewhere. Perhaps that is what led to the fault in the first place? They have implemented upgrades to try to deal with the fault in the past but with no success. Will Honda be forced to issue a recall for over 2 million of their cars? That would be a logistical nightmare. Not to mention the financial damage and impending consequences. Let’s see what their approach will be.
