US Regulator Opens Probe Into Over 2.2M Honda Vehicles: Retail Sentiment Dips

NYSE-listed shares of Honda Motor Co. (HMC) traded as much as 3% lower pre-market after National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said that it is opening an engineering analysis into over 2.2 million of its vehicles over complaints that they failed to restart after coming to a complete stop.

The U.S. auto safety regulator’s probe involves model year 2016-2025 Honda Pilot, 2018-2025 Honda Odyssey, 2019-2025 Honda Passport, 2020-2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2015-2025 Acura TLX, and 2016-2025 Acura MDX vehicles.

Complainants alleged that the engine failed to restart on its own after coming to a complete stop at a traffic signal or road intersection with the auto start-stop function engaged. Some also alleged that a jump start was required for the vehicle to continue running.

The regulator opened a preliminary probe into 2016-2019 model year Honda Pilot vehicles  in June 2022 after it received complaints regarding the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) feature.

Honda subsequently released service bulletins to address the issue in January 2023 and offered a two-stage countermeasure. However, the regulator said that it continues to receive complaints regarding the feature, including from those who alleged that they have already completed the counter measures proposed by the company.

The regulator said that it is aware of 1,384 incidents, including four crashes or fires and two involving injuries.

NHTSA’s engineering analysis, it said, will consider the potential safety defect including the efficacy of Honda’s service campaign. The agency is also expanding the scope of its investigation to include all the vehicles addressed in Honda’s earlier service bulletins as well as newer model year vehicles, with similar features.

On Stocktwits, retail investor sentiment about Honda dipped in the ‘bearish’ territory (33/100) while message volume remained ‘high’ over the past 24 hours.

HMC's Sentiment Meter and Message Volume as of 8:00 a.m. ET on March 28, 2025 | Source: Stocktwits

NYSE-listed shares of Honda closed 2.7% lower on Thursday after President Trump signed an executive order imposing 25% tariffs on imports of automobiles into the country.

The shares are up by nearly 1% this year but down by over 20% over the past 12 months.  

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