2014 HONDA ACCORD WILL NOT START. I PRESS THE BRAKE BUT IT'S HARD TO PRESS DOWN. PUSH START WILL NOT GO IN TO START THE CAR. THE CAR HAS A BRAND NEW BATTERY AND THE COMPUTER SYSTEM WAS RESET. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME I'M EXPERIENCING THIS WITH MY CAR. THE CAR DOES NOTHING NO SOUND. EVERYTHING JUST LOCK UP. *TR
2014 Honda Accord
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Accord years
Owner complaints for the 2014 Honda Accord are substantially higher than the model-year median of 356.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Accord years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
579 reports with mileage · 401 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 378 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 179 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 142 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
980 reportsI BOUGHT A NEW HONDA ACCORD 2014. THE TRANSMISSION BROKE AT 47K MILES AND AFTER IT WAS REPAIRED AT NARDY HONDA IT ONCE AGAIN BROKE DOWN AT 75K MILES . I HAVE AN 7 YEAR WARRANTY ON THE VEHICLE AND NARDY MGT. EXTENDED IT TO 112K MILES . NOW IN APRIL 2020 THE VEHICLE SEEMS TO HAVE ENGINE TROUBLE . I HAVE IT TOWED TO ANOTHER DEALERS…
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I BOUGHT A NEW HONDA ACCORD 2014. THE TRANSMISSION BROKE AT 47K MILES AND AFTER IT WAS REPAIRED AT NARDY HONDA IT ONCE AGAIN BROKE DOWN AT 75K MILES . I HAVE AN 7 YEAR WARRANTY ON THE VEHICLE AND NARDY MGT. EXTENDED IT TO 112K MILES . NOW IN APRIL 2020 THE VEHICLE SEEMS TO HAVE ENGINE TROUBLE . I HAVE IT TOWED TO ANOTHER DEALERSHIP TO REPAIR VEHICLE SINCE NARDY WAS TOTALLY CLOSED DUE TO THE CORONA VIRUS. ONCE AT HUNTINGTON HONDA, SERVICE MECHANIC SHOWS ME SOME THING HAPPENED TO THE WIRES ON TOP OF THE ENGINE BY THE FIRE WALL. HE STATED A RODENT MAY HAVE CHEWED SOME WIRES. THE SERVICE MGT. STATED I WOULD NOT BE COVERED AND WAS AN UNBELIEVABLE EXPENSIVE REPAIR BILL. THEY PUT SOME KIND OF RODENT PROOF TAPE OVER THE AREA , BUT DIDN'T EXTENDED THE TAPE ANOTHER 2 FEET TO COVER THE ENTIRE BACK AREA. WHEN I ASKED WHY NOT THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE TAPE WAS EXPENSIVE. WELL 2 WEEKS LATER THE SAME PROBLEM AROSE A COUPLE INCHES WHERE THE MECHANIC FAILED TO EXTEND THE TAPE. SERVICE MGT STATED THAT THEY WERE SORRY BUT YOU WILL NOT BE COVERED FOR THE SAME REPAIR WHICH IN TOTAL WAS OVER 1000 DOLLARS WHEN THE DEALERSHIP SHOULD OF REPAIRED THE PROBLEM THE FIRST TIME . I ALSO LEARN THAT HONDA HAD MADE THESES LINES ECO FRIENDLY FROM 2010 TO 2016 WHERE IT ATTRACTED RODENTS . I FEEL I SHOULD BE COMPENSATED FOR THIS VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR.*DT*JB
MY CAR 2014 HONDA ACCORD SPORT AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAS A PROBLEM WITH STARTING ENGINE , IT WAS QUIET SEVERAL TIMES WHEN STARTING ENGINE AND IT TURNS OUT IT CAUSED STARTER WON'T START . MY CAR JUST 49,000 MILES AND OCCURS THIS PROBLEM . I'M TOTALLY DISAPPOINT THE QUALITY OF HONDA. I'M NOT SURE THAT : SHOULD NHTSA TAKE AN ACT…
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MY CAR 2014 HONDA ACCORD SPORT AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAS A PROBLEM WITH STARTING ENGINE , IT WAS QUIET SEVERAL TIMES WHEN STARTING ENGINE AND IT TURNS OUT IT CAUSED STARTER WON'T START . MY CAR JUST 49,000 MILES AND OCCURS THIS PROBLEM . I'M TOTALLY DISAPPOINT THE QUALITY OF HONDA. I'M NOT SURE THAT : SHOULD NHTSA TAKE AN ACTION TO ORDER HONDA MOTOR RECALL THIS MATTER DUE TO DEFECTED STARTER OR WHAT SO EVER ? *TR
WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY VEHICLE SUDDENLY SHOOK, ALL LIGHTS ON DASHBOARD CAME ON, AND VEHICLE STALLED. VEHICLE TOWED TO MIDAS. MECHANIC THERE INFORMED ME THAT THE ISSUE IS FAULTY ENGINE. I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE IN 2017 AND MAINTAIN COMPLETE UPKEEP OF THE VEHICLE. *TR
HONDA ACCORD SPORT 2014, NEW BATTERY AND NEW STARTER. SOME TIME START NORMAL SOME TIME DEAD. AFTER GIVING JUMP, START AND NO PROBLEM FOR FEW WEEKS AND START AGAIN. DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS THE PROBLEM. *TR
I'VE CONTACTED MY LOCAL HONDA DEALERSHIP AS WELL AS CORPORATE HONDA CUSTOMER SERVICE WITH THE ISSUE OF THE PAINT PEELING OFF AT THE RAIN CHANNELS AT THE REAR WINDSHIELD. THEY SAID THERE ARE NO RECALLS ON THIS ISSUE SO THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO, I DID SOME RESEARCH AND SAW THAT I AM NOT THE FIRST OR THE ONLY PERSON WITH THIS P…
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I'VE CONTACTED MY LOCAL HONDA DEALERSHIP AS WELL AS CORPORATE HONDA CUSTOMER SERVICE WITH THE ISSUE OF THE PAINT PEELING OFF AT THE RAIN CHANNELS AT THE REAR WINDSHIELD. THEY SAID THERE ARE NO RECALLS ON THIS ISSUE SO THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO, I DID SOME RESEARCH AND SAW THAT I AM NOT THE FIRST OR THE ONLY PERSON WITH THIS PROBLEM. HONDA TELLS ME IT'S DUE TO THE TYPE OF WASH FLUID I'M USING AS WELL AS BIRD DROPPINGS AND TREE SAP HOWEVER, I WASH THE VEHICLE REGULARLY LIKE ALL OTHER VEHICLES I'VE OWNED, ALL UNDER THE SAME WASHING AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS, AND THIS IS THE ONLY VEHICLE THIS HAS HAPPENED ON. THE PAINT IS PEELING IS MAKING ITS WAY UP THE CHANNEL AND WHEN IT REACHES THE TOP IT'S GOING PEEL MUCH FASTER AROUND THE VEHICLE. THERE IS ALSO A FACEBOOK GROUP (HONDA PAINT DEFECT ACTION GROUP) AS AN EXAMPLE WITH ALMOST 2,000 PEOPLE WITH THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM IN THE SAME EXACT LOCATION. THAT IS NOT A COINCIDENCE. *TR
MY 2014 HONDA ACCORD IS EXPERIENCING EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION, LACK OF ENGINE POWER, ENGINE STALLING ISSUES AND OVERALL UNSAFE DRIVABILITY CONDITIONS. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO ALBANY HONDA ON 5/4/2020 FOR THEM TO DIAGNOSE AND REPAIR THE ISSUE BUT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEMS I WAS EXPERIENCING SO THEY RECOMMENDED AN OIL C…
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MY 2014 HONDA ACCORD IS EXPERIENCING EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION, LACK OF ENGINE POWER, ENGINE STALLING ISSUES AND OVERALL UNSAFE DRIVABILITY CONDITIONS. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO ALBANY HONDA ON 5/4/2020 FOR THEM TO DIAGNOSE AND REPAIR THE ISSUE BUT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEMS I WAS EXPERIENCING SO THEY RECOMMENDED AN OIL CHANGE AND GASKET VALVE COVER REPLACEMENT AND CHARGED ME $262.08 FOR THE SERVICE. I PAID FOR THE SERVICE AND DROVE MY VEHICLE OFF THE LOT WITH THE SEVERE ISSUES STILL PRESENT. AFTER 30 MINUTES OF DRIVING THE VEHICLE THE ENGINE STRUGGLED TO GET UP HILLS, BEGAN JERKING, JOLTING VIOLENTLY AND I WAS ALMOST HIT BY ONCOMING TRAFFIC, I IMMEDIATELY CALLED SERVE DEPARTMENT BACK AT HONDA AND TOLD THEM ABOUT THE INCIDENT AND THAT I WAS BRINGING THE CAR BACK AND FOR THEM TO DO A THOROUGH INSPECTION AND DIAGNOSIS OF THE VEHICLE AS IT HAD BECOME A SAFETY HAZARD AND I DIDN'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING IT. THE NEXT DAY THE TELLS ME THAT THEY 'TEST DROVE' THE VEHICLE AGAIN AND THAT THE MECHANIC NOTICED A 'SLIGHT SURGE' BUT STILL COULD NOT PINPOINT THE ISSUE. THEY THEN RECOMMENDED A HOST OF COMPLETELY UNRELATED EXPENSIVE REPAIRS THAT WOULD COST ME $600 TO $700; MONEY THAT ABSOLUTELY NO ONE HAS TO SPARE DURING THIS NATIONWIDE PANDEMIC. FRUSTRATED AND DISAPPOINTED I ENDED UP TAKING MY VEHICLE TO ANOTHER CERTIFIED REPAIR SHOP AND THEY DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE AS P0300'AS AN ENGINE MISFIRE. THE SHOP REFUSED TO WORK ON THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THEY SAID IT'S A SERIOUS ISSUE AND THAT HONDA SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE TO REPAIR MY VEHICLE BECAUSE THEY PROBLEM IS A TSB BAD PISTON RINGS THAT HONDA NEEDS TO ADDRESS. *TR
EVERY ONCE AND A WHILE I GET IN MY CAR AND TRY TO START IT UP AND IT WON'T START . IT TAKES SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE IT DOES START UP . YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN IT'S GOING TO NOT START BECAUSE IT DOES IT EVERY NOW AND THEN . I HAVE BEEN STRANDED MANY TIMES WAITING AND CONSTANTLY TURNING THE SWITCH TO SEE IF IT'LL START AND AFTER MANY TRI…
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EVERY ONCE AND A WHILE I GET IN MY CAR AND TRY TO START IT UP AND IT WON'T START . IT TAKES SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE IT DOES START UP . YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN IT'S GOING TO NOT START BECAUSE IT DOES IT EVERY NOW AND THEN . I HAVE BEEN STRANDED MANY TIMES WAITING AND CONSTANTLY TURNING THE SWITCH TO SEE IF IT'LL START AND AFTER MANY TRIES, IT DOES . I HAVE REPLACED THE STARTER AND KEY FOB BATTERIES NEITHER ONE OF THEM WERE THE PROBLEM. AFTER REPLACING THE STARTER , MY KEY FOB STOPPED WORKING AND I CAN'T LOCK MY DOORS ANYMORE . I'VE ALSO TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT AND THEY TRIED TO REPLACE TWO OF THE FUSES BUT THEY BOTH BURNT OUT AS SOON AS THEY WERE PUT IN . I'VE ONLY HAD THIS CAR FOR TWO MONTHS AND IT FEELS LIKE I'VE HAD IT FOR YEARS THE WAY I'M HAVING PROBLEMS WITH IT . *TR
THE ABS MODULE IS BAD WHICH CAUSES THE BRAKING SYSTEM TO GO BAD. THE FCW SYSTEM FAILURE LIGHT COMES ON ALONG WITH THE ABS, BRAKE, VEHICLE STABILITY, ELECTRIC POWER SYSTEM LIGHTS. *TR
I TURNED MY CAR ON ONE DAY AND THE LIGHT WITH THE CAR AND A SQUIGGLY LINE UNDER STARTED FLASHING THEN MOMENTS LATER THE TIRE PRESSURE LIGHT WITH THE EXCLAMATION MARK CAME ON THEN WEEKS FOLLOWING THE STEERING WHEEL LIGHT WITH THE ! CAME ON. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE TIRE PLACE TO CHECK AND THEY SAID NOTHING IS WRONG AND AFTER MONTHS …
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I TURNED MY CAR ON ONE DAY AND THE LIGHT WITH THE CAR AND A SQUIGGLY LINE UNDER STARTED FLASHING THEN MOMENTS LATER THE TIRE PRESSURE LIGHT WITH THE EXCLAMATION MARK CAME ON THEN WEEKS FOLLOWING THE STEERING WHEEL LIGHT WITH THE ! CAME ON. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE TIRE PLACE TO CHECK AND THEY SAID NOTHING IS WRONG AND AFTER MONTHS OF GOING BACK ALMOST WEEKLY AT THIS POINT ONE OF THE TECHS SAYS HE HEARD OTHER HONDA ACCORD'S WERE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AND THAT IT MAY BE A FALSE READING. THEN AFTER SOME WEEKS MY ABS AND BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON. AT FIRST IT WAS ONLY IN THE AFTERNOON OR LATER THESE LIGHT WOULD COME ON BUT NOW IT'S WHENEVER. SOMETIMES THEY GO OFF AFTER I START DRIVING BUT THEN THEY EVENTUALLY COME BACK ON. I LOOKED ON GOOGLE AND IT APPEARS THIS HAS HAPPENED TO OTHERS STATING THERE WAS SOME KIND OF FAULTY BOX THINGY THAT IS USED TO COMMUNICATE BETWEEN THE LIGHTS GOING OFF AND THE CAR. I DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO GET SOMEONE TO DO ALL OF THIS AND IF THERE ARE OTHERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM DID HONDA USE A FAULTY PART AS OTHERS ARE SAYING? PLEASE HELP
Official recalls
423V858000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump
Dec 18, 2023
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.
20V769000 · Power Train:driveline:driveshaft
Dec 10, 2020
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Accord vehicles equipped with a 4-cylinder engine and a continuously-variable transmission that were originally sold, or ever registered, in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The drive shafts were assembled with a lubricant that may have degraded the drive shafts' protective coating, making it more susceptible to damage from road salt or other contaminants, and potentially cause it to break.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A broken drive shaft may cause a sudden loss of drive power. The vehicle could also roll away if the parking brake has not been applied before the vehicle has been exited. Either condition can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the drive shafts, replacing both the left and right drive shafts, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began February 4, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
17V418000 · Electrical SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V Battery
Jun 29, 2017
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Honda Accord vehicles. The case for the battery sensor, part of the battery management system, may allow water to get in, potentially causing an electrical short.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the sensor, free of charge. Dealers will perform an interim remedy of applying adhesive to the case to prevent water intrusion. The recall began November 8, 2017. Owners may contact American Honda Customer Support Center at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is KG0.
15V121000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine
Mar 2, 2015
American Honda Motor Co. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2014 Accord L4 vehicles manufactured July 29, 2014, to July 31, 2014, 2015 Accord L4 vehicles manufactured August 14, 2014, to January 30, 2015, and 2015 CR-V vehicles manufactured September 9, 2014, to February 6, 2015. The affected vehicles may have been assembled with improperly torqued connecting rod bolts, which can cause the engine to lose power or leak oil.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Loss of engine power may result in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash. If the engine leaks oil in the proximity of hot engine or exhaust components, there is an increased risk of a fire.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the engine short block, free of charge. The recall began on March 27, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is JP2 (for Accord models) and JP3 (for CR-V models).
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
2EA21001 · Loss Of Direction Control
Opened May 6, 2021 · Closed Aug 25, 2023
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Steering
On May 6, 2021, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Engineering Analysis (EA21-001) to assess a sudden loss of steering control, in Model Year (MY) 2013-2015 Honda Accord vehicles. Consumers alleged while driving the steering wheel would pull to the left or the right independently. Steering pull may pose a risk of loss of directional control. Honda stated that they believed the inadvertent steering input was caused by a loose magnet located within the electronic power steering (EPS) system. Due to poor formulation of the adhesive, this magnet can become loose and move up to 2 degrees around the steering column. When the magnet moves, the torque sensor generates a signal that results in unwanted steering in either direction. Honda stated the steering force required to maintain directional control with a loose magnet is a maximum of 3-pound feet. The maximum force of the unwanted steering input can be overcome by the driver and is similar to driving on grooved pavement.The Vehicle Research Test Center (VRTC) sent over 4,000 questionnaires to 2013-2015 Honda Accord vehicle owners. Of the 637 responses, 58 consumers experienced unwanted steering. Consumers experiencing unwanted steering did not report difficulties maintaining directional control. There were no crashes or injuries reported to VRTC. Testing done by VRTC was not able to reproduce the allegations. Analysis of all relevant data indicates that the subject condition has a relatively low failure rate. The poor adhesive formulation was addressed by the supplier with three (3) counter measures in the manufacturing process.There has been a declining trend in consumer complaints to NHTSA which indicates possible exhaustion of parts prone to failure. In view of the low rate, declining complaint trend, the nature of failure, and resolution of the adhesive formulation, this Engineering Analysis is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances.The ODI complaints cited above can be viewed at www.NHTSA.gov under the following ODI identification numbers: 11538714, 11528538, 11528008, 11522953, 11496557, 11495837, 11494328, 11478680, 11477167, 11476758, 11476263, 11471198, 11470001, 11467026, 11466561, 11466016, 11465626, 11464143, 11463558, 11462759, 11461500, 11460777, 11460191, 11455540, 11454334, 11452198, 11448114, 11447666, 11444888, 11444823, 11444172, 11443324, 11443243, 11443105, 11441374, 11439520, 11438345, 11437261, 11436824, 11436350, 11435994, 11435079, 11434969, 11434545, 11434442, 11434381, 11433824, 11433745, 11433555, 11433368, 11433176, 11431206, 11430465, 11430253, 11430009, 11429253, 11428301, 11427449, 11426841, 11426340, 11425928, 11425261, 11425230, 11423611, 11423245, 11422445, 11422395, 11422351, 11422220, 11422138, 11422069, 11421683, 11421589, 11421540, 11420573, 11419338, 11419270, 11418147, 11418143, 11417768, 11417742, 11417570, 11417437, 11416804, 11416699, 11416401, 11416378, 11416375, 11416155, 11416117, 11416084, 11416051, 11416032, 11416028, 11416024, 11416000, 11415933, 11415915, 11414105, 11406220, 11398736 ,11387075, 11387049, 11375580, 11364698, 11361125, 11351660, 11349961, 11327909, 11327170, 11301957, 11289067, 11282525, 11277659, 11258017, 11256914, 11218752, 11208077, 11196050, 11194358, 11189901, 11165075, 11163481, 11154891
EA19001 · Electrical Overstress
Opened Apr 19, 2019 · Closed Sep 19, 2024
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags: Air Bag/restraint Control Module
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation to determine if the failure of airbags to deploy during severe crashes, in certain vehicles, was the result of a safety related defect. During the investigation a complex failure was studied that can result in non-deployment of subject vehicle air bags and other restraint system devices in severe crash events. The subject vehicles may be equipped with an airbag control unit (ACU) for the supplemental restraint system (SRS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) manufactured by ZF-TRW. The ECU receives signals from crash sensors mounted in the vehicle and deploys the vehicle air bags and seat belt pretensioners in accordance with manufacturer design specifications. The ECU in the subject vehicles contains a model DS84 application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) which controls the communication of the crash sensor signal, firing commands (i.e., when to deploy the airbag(s) and/or pretensioners), and fault information (e.g., diagnostic trouble codes). In September 2016, FCA announced recall 16V-668 for certain model year (MY) 2010 to 2014 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep products manufactured with the subject ZF-TRW ACU. In this recall, FCA discussed an EOS condition that resulted in a failure of the subject DS84 ASIC, which caused air bag non-deployment. FCA noted that the defect condition had only been observed in vehicles equipped with sensor harnessing routed across the front of the vehicle. Other FCA vehicles that also used the subject ACU, but were not equipped with cross-car harnessing, had not experienced EOS failures, despite similar time in service. During the course of this investigation, ODI sent two separate Information Request (IR) letters to six vehicle manufactures (including FCA, Hyundai, Honda, Kia, Mitsubishi, and Toyota) and one IR letter to ZF-TRW. These IR letters resulted in ODI receiving comprehensive data from these manufacturers and suppliers. Studies of this data found that the DS84 ASIC does not have sufficient protection against negative electrical transients or electrical overstress (“EOS”) that can be generated in certain severe crashes. An electrical transient occurs when the electrical power supplied to a circuit changes momentarily over a short duration of time. In these severe crash cases, the crash sensors and other powered wiring can be damaged and short circuited so as to create a negative electrical transient of sufficient intensity and duration (that are outside the vehicle manufacturer's specification) to damage the ASIC before the restraint device deployment signal is received by the SRS ECU. This damaged signal can lead to incomplete or nondeployment of the air bags and/or pretensioners. Airbag non-deployment and/or lack of pretensioner operation can increase the risk or severity of injury in a crash.A total of 8 fatalities and 14 injuries were associated with known EOS events. The common element in all investigated manufacturers vehicles is the SRS ECU containing a DS84 ASIC manufactured by ZF-TRW. The risk associated with the ASIC is equally shared among all OEMS involved in the investigation. The actual real-world risk can be mitigated by other factors which were assessed by ODI during this investigation. The first mitigating factor involves protections built into the ACU design which protect the DS84 ASIC from damage. There are multiple strategies and levels of protection employed by different OEMs that provide effective EOS mitigation. The two most common strategies at the ACU level are circuit protection diodes on the remote senor signal lines, and current limiting resistors that protect critical components. The second mitigating factor is found at the vehicle level and involves the location and routing of the wires leading from the crash sensors to the SRS ECU. If the wires are well protected in a crash and are not routed with other power wires carrying large currents, the risk for an EOS event is significantly reduced or eliminated. These design specific factors combine to produce a spectrum of risk for the vehicles equipped with ACUs using the DS84 ASIC. Given the many of years of field exposure, it is possible to divide the subject population into two groups; vehicles which have experienced EOS events, and vehicles which have not experienced EOS field events. Four of the six OEMs involved in this investigation have experienced EOS field events on at least one of their models equipped with a DS84 ASIC. All vehicle models (including the Toyota models identified in the Failure Report Summary of the opening resume for this investigation) with field events have been recalled. In an abundance of caution, ODI kept this investigation open five years to monitor field performance and did not identify any field events on vehicles not included in existing safety recalls. Given the spectrum of risk identified in this investigation and that all vehicles with a demonstrated unreasonable risk have been recalled, ODI is closing this investigation. ODI is closing this investigation with the following manufacturer safety recalls: 16V-668, 18E-043, 18V-137, 18V-363, and 20V-024. With the recall actions taken by the subject vehicle and equipment manufacturers, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exists on other model or model year vehicles outside of the recall scopes. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
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