NHTSA Investigating Honda Insight, Passport Over Automatic Emergency Braking System Activation Complaints

In response to 46 complaints and numerous Early Warning Reporting (EWR) Field Reports, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has launched a Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to investigate reports of inadvertent activation of the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) system in Honda vehicles.

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Complainants have raised concerns about the AEB system engaging without any apparent obstruction in the vehicle's path, leading to sudden and rapid vehicle deceleration. Such unintended activations pose an increased risk of collisions, potentially resulting in injuries and property damage. The estimated number of affected vehicles stands at 2,50,714 units.

The reported incidents suggest that these inadvertent braking events occur without any prior warning, prompting the ODI to delve into the scope and severity of the potential problem. The Preliminary Evaluation aims to comprehensively assess any safety-related issues associated with the AEB system in 2019-2022 Model Year Honda Insight and Passport vehicles.

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The AEB system has become increasingly common in cars across the world with many countries now mandating the use of the system in all new cars. Many crash testing agencies such as Euro NCAP go so far as to test the systems in their scoring of vehicle safety ratings. The AEB system has also slowly but surely trickled its way onto cars in India as well ranging from the luxury segments to more mass market segments such as the subcompact SUV, compact SUV and compact sedan segments in models such as the Hyundai Venue, Kia Seltos and Hyundai Verna to name a few.

The system works by using an array of sensors and/or radars to scan the road ahead for any obstructions and automatically applying the vehicle’s brakes should it detect an obstruction in the way of the vehicle to either avoid impact or minimise the impact.

Written by: RONIT AGARWAL