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Honda has upgraded and expanded a federal investigation into Honda Idle Stop problems.
The Honda Idle Stop system is supposed to save money on fuel, but vehicle owners complain the systems aren’t worth using.
“The Honda idle-stop feature maximizes your fuel efficiency when your vehicle is idling. If you’re stationary for more than two seconds, such as in stop-and-go traffic, the engine will shut off; many of the vehicle’s functions, such as the A/C, will continue to power on smoothly. Merely release the brake to start up the engine again! This feature can be easily disabled.” — Honda
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened the Honda Idle Stop investigation in June 2022 following complaints about 2016-2020 Honda Pilots equipped with 3.5L engines and 9-speed automatic transmissions.
Honda owners complained the Pilot engines failed to restart on their own as intended.
The automaker released two technical service bulletins (23-008 and 23-009) in January 2023 due to engines that didn’t restart when the Idle Stop features were engaged. However, the bulletins expanded the affected vehicles to include these models.
- 2016-2019 Honda Pilot
- 2019-2022 Honda Passport
- 2020-2023 Honda Ridgeline
- 2015-2020 Acura TLX
- 2016-2020 Acura MDX
Honda dealers updated fuel injection software, and if that didn’t work dealers replaced the starter assemblies and starter relays. Additionally, Honda dealers adjusted the valves, and Honda extended the warranty coverage to 10 years with unlimited mileage for vehicles requiring part replacements.
NHTSA has upgraded and expanded the Honda Idle Stop investigation because vehicle owners have continued to complain about the systems and how the engines fail to restart.
The new investigation includes the above Acura and Honda vehicles listed in service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009.
CarComplaints.com will update our website with results of the Honda Idle Stop expanded investigation.