1.1 Million Honda Accords Under Investigation by NHTSA
The Honda Accord’s reputation for reliability and safety is now under scrutiny as more than 1.1 million units are the subject of an investigation in the U.S.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has received 107 complaints about a steering malfunction that affects handling. At least two incidents with injuries have been reported, too.
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Affected models include 2013-2015 Accord sedans. According to the NHTSA, a petition filed last October alleges that "under normal driving conditions, with no warning or input from the driver, the vehicle may veer or jerk out of its intended path of travel."
The agency opened a defect petition review and sent the Japanese automaker two information requests on steering anomalies. It then "performed extensive analysis on the information obtained from Honda as well as information in NHTSA's databases."
Now it’s a matter of determining the scope, frequency and possible consequences of the alleged steering defect. A recall may follow.
At the time of writing, Honda had not publicly commented on the investigation. Incidentally, there’s no indication that other Honda models have the same problem.
In Canada, the Accord previously had a recall to fix the steering on nearly 30,000 2003-2007 models. In that particular case, the power steering hose could crack and leak fluid due to prolonged exposure to high heat.