Safety: US regulators investigate 2.2m Honda vehicles over increasing engine restart failures

*The United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announces an engineering analysis as a more advanced stage of investigation into 2.2 million Honda vehicles, which engines fail to restart after stopping at traffic lights or road intersections

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

Sequel to hundreds of complaints about engines failing to restart after stopping at traffic lights or intersections, the United States (US) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Friday, March 28, 2025, launched an engineering analysis into 2.2 million Honda vehicles.

ConsumerConnect learnt the current investigation focuses on Honda’s Auto Idle Stop (AIS) system, a fuel-saving feature that temporarily shuts off the engine when a vehicle is at a complete stop.

Drivers have related that in some cases, the car engine would not automatically restart, leaving vehicles stranded in traffic.

Several complainants reported needing to jump-start their vehicles to get them moving again, agency report said.

The issue affects a range of Honda models, including:

• Honda Pilot SUVs from model years 2016 to 2025
• Honda Ridgeline pickups from 2020 to 2025
• Additional models may be included as the investigation continues, report said.

Previous fixes under scrutiny, by regulators

Report indicated the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) at NHTSA had received 1,384 complaints related to the issue, including four incidents that led to crashes or vehicle fires and two incidents involving injuries.

While Honda issued a service bulletin January 2023, offering a two-part fix for affected vehicles, the NHTSA holds it has continued to receive complaints from drivers who had already received the repair.

According to the industry regulators, the new analysis of the issues would examine the effectiveness of Honda’s countermeasures, and assess whether a more comprehensive recall is needed in this regard.

Speaking on the development, an spokesperson of NHTSA said: “This expanded probe will allow us to gather more data and determine whether the issue poses a significant safety risk.”

What’s next for drivers

An engineering analysis has been described as a more advanced stage of investigation that may lead to an official vehicle recall, if a safety defect is confirmed.

Honda, however, has not issued a formal recall related to the AIS malfunction at this time, but has said it is cooperating fully with NHTSA’s investigation.

Meanwhile, automobile consumers experiencing similar issues are encouraged to report them through the NHTSA’s online complaint system at: nhtsa.gov.

This probe comes as auto regulators face growing scrutiny over electronic vehicle systems and the reliability of tech-based fuel efficiency features, report said.

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