Honda recalls more than half a million US vehicles for steering defect
Bosch software error can cut power assistance while driving, first fault report reached Honda five years ago
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Honda is recalling 635,808 vehicles in the United States over an electronic power steering defect that can switch off steering assistance while the car is in motion. The recall covers 383,110 Honda Pilot SUVs from the 2023 through 2025 model years, 177,100 Acura MDX SUVs from 2022 through 2024, and 75,598 Acura TLX sedans from 2021 through 2025, according to a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Honda has reported one injury and 146 warranty claims linked to the defect and says it has received no reports of deaths.
The fault sits in steering software developed by supplier Robert Bosch Automotive Steering — improperly configured code containing an error in a calculation associated with the Driver Attention Monitor system. Under certain driving conditions the error disables power steering assistance and drops the system into a failsafe mode. Warning indicators light up on the instrument cluster; the driver can still steer, but the extra effort required makes the car harder to control and raises the risk of a crash. The feature built to monitor the driver's attention is, in these vehicles, connected to the system that steers the car.
Honda received the first report of the problem in November 2021 and continued investigating additional reports in subsequent years. The supplier identified the failure in August 2025. Honda reproduced the problem in December 2025, confirmed in February 2026 that it occurs only under certain operating conditions while a vehicle is traveling straight, and determined on October 22 that the defect posed a motor vehicle safety risk and warranted a recall — nearly five years after the first report arrived.
The repair is a reflash rather than a workshop overhaul: owners bring affected cars to a Honda or Acura dealership, where technicians reprogram the electronic power steering control unit with updated software. Notification letters begin going out on December 14, and owners can check whether their vehicle is covered by entering its vehicle identification number at NHTSA.gov/recalls. Honda's file on the defect opens in November 2021.