NHTSA upgrades probe into braking issues in 3 million Honda vehicles; 50 injuries reported

U.S. safety regulators have upgraded a probe into nearly 3 million Honda Motor Co. vehicles to further assess the frequency and safety issues related to unexpected activation of emergency braking systems.

NHTSA said it has received 1,294 reported complaints alleging inadvertent activation resulting in “sudden vehicle deceleration.” There were 50 reported injuries and 31 crashes, NHTSA said.

NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation first opened a preliminary evaluation into Honda in February 2022 to probe 2018-19 Honda Accord midsize cars and 2017-19 Honda CR-V compact crossovers.

NHTSA updated the probe to an engineering analysis on Monday and expanded the scope to include 2020-2022 Honda CR-V and Accord vehicles. A total of nearly 3 million vehicles are now included in the investigation, up from the 1.7 million in the original probe.

“Honda will continue to cooperate with the NHTSA through the investigation process, and we will continue our own internal review of the available information," Honda said in a statement.

Most NHTSA investigations start as preliminary evaluations in which agency engineers request information from the manufacturer, including data on complaints, injuries and warranty claims.

The manufacturer also can present its view regarding the alleged defect and might issue a recall.

After the evaluation, NHTSA will either close the investigation or move into the next phase, usually an engineering analysis. If a safety-related defect exists, according to NHTSA, the agency could send a "recall request" letter to the manufacturer.