250,000 Honda Passports And Insights Under Investigation For Phantom Braking

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Federal regulators in the U.S. are investigating complaints regarding potential defects in the automatic emergency braking system of the 2019-2022 Honda Insight and Passport models. Owners have reported instances of phantom braking occurring in these vehicles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that it has received 46 complaints of sudden deceleration events at a variety of speed. The issue is a safety concern, as phantom braking increases the odds of an accident occurring.

“My Honda Passport will trigger false forward collision alarms randomly, and for no reason,” one owner wrote on NHTSA’s website. “As the BRAKE warning appears, the steering wheel vibrates. This happens for no apparent reason. It is distracting and if the brakes apply, very dangerous. My dealership says this is normal. It is not normal or safe.”

Read: Phantom Braking Triggers Recall Of 62,000 Chevy Colorados And GMC Canyons

That experience was shared by other vehicle owners, according to complaints lodged with the organization. In fact, another owner complained that, in addition to the sudden braking event, which brought their vehicle to a complete stop, they experienced the shaking steering wheel, too.

The second owner claims they brought their Passport to a dealer three times. On the second visit, the braking system was recalibrated, but they allege that the problem persisted.

Unfortunately for that owner, and others who drive Passports and Insights, the problem may be a serious one. NHTSA reports that it is aware of three crashes, two of which have led to an injury. Fortunately, no fatalities have been logged as a result of this potential fault.

The regulator has opened a Preliminary Evaluation of the issue, through which it will seek to determine the scope and severity of the issue. If it finds that a safety concern exists, it may ask Honda to issue a recall, which could include as many as 250,712 vehicles.