• NHTSA is investigating 1.7 million CR-V and HR-V SUVs from the years 2018 to 2022.
• A leaking differential seal could cause the driveshaft to fracture while driving at highway speeds.
• Only all-wheel-drive versions are affected by the investigation.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the equivalent of Transport Canada, has opened an investigation into two Honda models after receiving several incident reports of power loss at highway speeds.
Archyde.com, reporting the news, says NHTSA’s investigation is targeting more than 1.7 million CR-V and HR-V SUVs from 2018 through 2022. The information released points to an issue that affects the all-wheel-drive versions of these models.
Basically, they can see their rear differential lock up at high speeds, which leads to a broken driveshaft and, consequently, a loss of power. The problem lies with a leaky differential seal.
Honda confirmed that it was aware of the ongoing investigation and said it would cooperate with the latter by providing information, if necessary.
For the moment, we do not know when incidents related to this problem took place or how they manifested. The number of reports produced by Honda concerning them also remains unknown. Manufacturers must provide information to NHTSA about such incidents and NHTSA ultimately determines whether a recall should be issued.
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So let’s be clear. The Honda HR-V and CR-V from years 2018 to 2022 have not yet been recalled. However, due to the number of vehicles affected, it is important to inform you.
It should also be noted that this is NHTSA’s second major investigation into Honda vehicles in 2022. Earlier this year, the agency opened an investigation into roughly the same number of CR-Vs and Okay. In these cases, it is the automatic emergency braking which may come into action unexpectedly when there is no obstacle in the path of the vehicle. NHTSA said 6 of the 270 reports it received resulted in minor injuries. This investigation is still ongoing.
Taking this survey into account, that’s potentially 3.5 million vehicles that could be affected by recalls, though in the case of the CR-V, some units would definitely have both issues.
We will follow this closely.