Honda Facing Possible Recall of 3 Million Vehicles; Toyota Recalls New Prius

Two major Japanese automakers are under NHTSA’s microscope. In the case of Toyota, the Japanese giant has ordered the recall of 55,000 of the latest-generation Prius hybrids sold in the U.S. That service action could be dwarfed, however, if the federal safety agency moves forward on a probe targeting 3 million Honda vehicles. Headlight.News has more.

All told, about 211,000 of the latest Toyota Prius models are being recalled due to a defect that could cause their rear doors to open unexpectedly, with about 55,000 of them sold in the United States.

Honda, meanwhile, saw the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration upgrade an ongoing probe related to complaints that the automatic emergency braking systems on as many as 3 million vehicles could unexpectedly, and improperly deploy. The next step would be a full recall.

Doors pop open without warning

The Toyota recall covers 55,000 vehicles sold in the U.S. The vehicles affected include both the conventional Prius hybrid, as well as the plug-in Prius Prime, both of which went on sale last year as a 2024 model.

Only the latest-generation versions of the Prius are covered by the service action. Toyota completely redesigned the hatchback last year and it has generated significant interest in a nameplate that had been losing momentum in recent years. Among other things, the 2024 Toyota Prius was named World Car Design of the Year during a ceremony at the New York Auto Show last month, beating out competitors including the Ford Bronco and Ferrari Purosangue.

The issue that triggered the recall involves the rear door latches. They are electrical, rather than mechanical releases. According to the NHTSA recall notice, water can leak into the doors, short-circuiting the latches. If that happens they can release and allow the door to pop open.

False alerts

The ongoing probe involving Honda also appears to be the result of faulty electronic circuitry. NHTSA has so far received 2,876 complaints from owners who said what Honda calls its Autonomous Emergency Braking system can suddenly activate, even though there was no reason for it to trigger. So far, the federal agency has learned of 47 crashes resulting in 93 injury “incidents.”

Normally, the system uses radar and camera sensors to detect when a vehicle could face a possible front-end collision. In normal circumstances, it then provides a driver with both visual and aural alerts. If the motorist doesn’t respond, their vehicle may then begin braking on its own. Owners have reported that their vehicles have unexpectedly come into full auto-braking mode. In some instances, that can result in the Hondas being struck by another vehicle from behind.

Honda began looking into those reports in February 2022, at the time focusing on 1.7 million 2017-2019 Honda CR-V crossovers and 2018-2019 Accord sedans. The upgraded investigation now adds more than 1 million 2020-2022 CR-Vs and Accords.

More Auto Safety News

• NHTSA Opens Probe into Honda’s Emergency Auto-Braking System
• 2.6 Mil Honda and Acura Vehicles Recalled
• Ford Recalls Over 2 million Explorers

What’s next

In Honda’s case, the original probe has been upgraded to an “engineering analysis.” The next step would be to order a recall if a defect is found. NHTSA did not provide any timetable as to when it might move forward.

Owners who experience the problem can reach out to NHTSA and file a report.

As to Toyota, repairs will be made at no charge by the company’s dealers, their service departments installing new and better-sealed latch mechanisms. The automaker will begin sending out notices to owners in the coming weeks and repairs are expected to begin in June, once Toyota builds up an inventory of replacement parts.

Prius owners can find out more at Toyota.com/recall or nhtsa.gov/recalls. They can also contact the Toyota customer service department at 1-800-331-4331.