U.S. agencies begin safety investigation for Honda, Ram, and Jeep vehicles

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the United States said it will begin new safety investigations for 1.72 million Honda cars, 230,000 Jeeps, and 390,077 Ram trucks on December 6, 2022. The agency in charge of overseeing auto safety said it would start conducting preliminary analyses of problems with braking and power loss before initiating a total recall. 

The investigation focuses on claims that more than 1.7 million Honda CR-V and HR-V vehicles from the 2018–2022 model years in the U.S. have lost power. According to these allegations, some drivers reportedly experienced sudden power loss at highway speeds, and others claimed to see leaks that led to rear lock-ups. These are the result of the driveshaft breaking while the vehicle was in motion.

Following the receipt of 134 reports indicating a temporary or permanent loss of braking function, Honda said it will fully cooperate with the NHTSA through the investigation process. 

After receiving 15 complaints claiming a loss of power while driving and a warning indicating a high coolant temperature showing on the dashboard, the agency is also investigating almost 230,000 Jeep Compass SUVs from the 2019–2020 model year.

The parent company of Jeep and Ram, Stellantis, also stated that they would fully cooperate with the investigation.

Overall, within the three recent investigations, no accidents or injuries have been linked to any of the vehicles. Prior to requesting a recall, NHTSA must determine whether to upgrade each probe to an engineering analysis at a later time.

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