Thousands of American customers complain about Honda Civic and CRV cars having stuck steering wheel

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is expanding its investigation into steering problems in 532,535 Honda and Acura vehicles after receiving hundreds of thousands of complaints from customers alleging that their vehicles would lock up while driving in a straight line. A large number of users have also filed similar complaints with Honda, bringing the total number of reported incidents to 1,324. The affected models include the 2022-2023 Honda Civic, 2023 Honda CR-V, and 2023 Acura Integra.

Car owners complain that when they are driving on straight roads, especially on the highway, the steering wheel can suddenly get stuck in the same position. Fortunately, most drivers have overcome this steering wheel jam by applying more force to the steering wheel. However, this error is still considered very dangerous and can happen at any time.

NHTSA said it has received 13 reports of crashes involving Honda and Acura vehicles related to the issue. Two of the 13 crashes were caused by drivers trying to steer too hard when they felt the steering wheel was stuck, and the other 12 were caused by drivers failing to turn properly. Three of the crashes resulted in injuries to the driver or a pedestrian.

According to the NHTSA report, the steering wheel jamming error above may originate from the Japanese car manufacturer's steering gear manufacturing problem. During the manufacturing process, the steering shaft can generate internal braking force. Over time, this can lead to deformation of the teeth, causing the steering gear to get stuck on the surrounding pins, especially when driving in a straight line with little steering. In addition, the steering wheel jamming phenomenon can also be caused by a lack of lubrication for the steering rack, steering guide, or this oil leak...

Unfortunately, when a problem occurs, owners are not alerted by a fault indicator light as they would be with a normal car problem. NHTSA also recommends that owners of the above Honda and Acura models be cautious during the winter months or when driving in a straight line for long periods of time, as problems are more likely to occur then.

After further investigation into the technical defects, assessing the scope, frequency of the problem, and its impact on driver safety, NHTSA may request Honda to conduct a formal recall of the affected vehicles. In the event of a recall and repair, Honda technicians may have to remove the steering and electric power steering systems from the affected vehicles and replace them.

In Vietnam, the Honda Civic 2023 is the 11th generation Civic model, imported completely from Thailand, officially launched to Vietnamese customers in February 2023 with many significant upgrades. The car has a variety of designs from sedan, coupe, hatchback to Type R version, priced from 735-875 million VND depending on color and version. For the standard Civic E and Civic G versions, the car uses a 1.5L SOHC i-VTEC naturally aspirated engine, 4 cylinders, 16 valves, providing maximum power of 139 horsepower at 6,500 rpm, along with maximum torque of 174 Nm at 4,300 rpm, along with a CVT automatic transmission applying Honda's Earth Dreams technology. For the Honda Civic RS version, the car uses a 1.5L DOHC VTEC Turbo engine that delivers 170 horsepower at 5,500 rpm, maximum torque of 220 Nm at 1,700 - 5,500 rpm. This version is supported by a CVT gearbox. The car's steering wheel integrates many support technology buttons such as audio system adjustment buttons, hands-free calling, voice-activated speed dialing and sports gearshift paddles.

With the 2023 Honda CR-V crossover model, the car has 3 versions, of which 2 gasoline versions CRV G and CRV L are assembled domestically, launched to Vietnamese customers in October 2023. The car uses a 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine like the old generation, with a capacity of 188 horsepower and a maximum torque of 240 Nm, combined with a CVT gearbox. Meanwhile, the Honda CR-V e:HEV RS version uses a hybrid engine system imported completely from Thailand with a total capacity of 204 horsepower with an E-CVT gearbox. The car versions are priced from 1.109 - 1.310 billion VND.

Also from Honda, Acura is a new car model for Vietnamese customers but popular in the US. This is Honda's luxury car brand, not officially imported to Vietnam, appearing in small quantities in the domestic market through private import. The 2023 Acura Integra model is equipped with a standard 1.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine capable of producing 200 horsepower and 260 Nm of torque. When launched, this model was likened to a luxury Civic version.