Honda recalls 1.7 million U.S. vehicles over steering risk - CBS News

By Anne Marie Lee

Edited By Alain Sherter

Updated on: October 11, 2024 / 8:48 AM EDT / CBS News

Honda Motor is recalling 1,693,199 vehicles in the U.S. because of potential steering problems.

The steering gearbox worm wheel, which controls steering, may have been manufactured incorrectly in affected vehicles and swell while in use, thinning out the film of grease between the worm wheel and worm gear, according to documents posted Wednesday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In addition, the cars' worm wheel spring preload — a measurement of spring compression — was set too high. As a result of the two flaws, affected vehicles may become hard to steer.

"Increased friction between the worm gear and worm wheel can increase steering effort and difficulty, increasing the risk of a crash or injury," the recall states.

Warning signs of gearbox defects include an abnormal noise and a "sticky" feeling when attempting to turn the steering wheel while driving, the recall documents state. Honda has received no reports of injuries or deaths related to this issue, as of late September.

The recall applies to the following U.S. models of Honda cars:

Acura

Honda

Honda's U.S. unit urges owners of affected models to take their vehicle to an authorized dealer for repair as soon as they receive notification.

As a remedy, dealers will replace the worm gear spring and redistribute or add grease as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed Nov. 18, 2024.

Owners may contact Honda Customer Service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are SJS, MJU, QJT and VJV.

Owners may also contact NHTSA's safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (toll-free at 1-800-424-9153) or go to www.nhtsa.gov for further information. NHTSA's number for the recall is 24V-744.

Honda has faced several large recalls of late. In December 2023, the Japanese automaker recalled more than 2.5 million cars because of a faulty fuel pump. In February of this year, the company also recalled more than 750,000 vehicles to replace a defective sensor that could result in the front passenger air bags inflating unintentionally.

Anne Marie D. Lee is an editor for CBS MoneyWatch. She writes about topics including personal finance, the workplace, travel and social media.

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