Throughout the last year, there have been a handful of recalls and investigations within the Tesla auto company. Red flags have gone up for things such as faulty self-driving features. But, most recently, the company came under investigation for a phenomenon called “phantom braking.”
Now though, Honda is undergoing its own investigation by the U.S. transport safety regulator. And this time, they are looking into a massive total of 1.7 million affected Hondas.
According to CNBC, the transport safety regulator has turned its eye to Honda after receiving notification of reports of instances of inadvertent braking that increase collision risk. Interestingly, Honda’s braking investigation ignites a week after the transport safety regulator announced the investigation into Tesla’s “phantom braking” problem.
The current investigation pertains to a massive total of 1,732,000 Honda motor vehicles, with the regulator focused on two models. The first is the 2018-2019 model year Honda Accord. The second affected vehicle is the 2017-2019 model year Honda CR-V.
As per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 278 complaints came in tied to the braking problem. Reports state that braking incidents are “occurring with nothing obstructing the vehicle’s path of travel.”
Several of those instances have resulted in minor injuries.
Before the transport safety regulator can issue a full-scale recall on the vehicles, however, the outlet reports it must first navigate the preliminary-evaluation phase.
Tesla Undergoes Investigation for ‘Phantom Braking’
Tesla has undergone investigation several times already in 2022 for various vehicle problems and faulty safety features. The company’s advanced vehicles saw even more scrutiny in the previous year. As stated above, the electric vehicle company has most recently caught the attention of the U.S. transport safety regulator after multiple reports of “phantom braking” tied into the cars’ autopilot feature.
In recent months, Elon Musk and Tesla have faced criticism for various issues with the electric vehicles’ self-driving features. Now, the braking problem is just the latest in a long line of investigations.
Just like Honda, Tesla received hundreds of complaints tying into the recent braking problem. Between 2021 and 2022, the NHTSA received a significant 354 complaints regarding the vehicles’ “phantom braking.”
As per The Washington Post, the issue has most commonly taken place in the Model Y and Model 3 vehicles. Reports have been collected over the span of nine months.
The transport safety regulator’s Honda investigation is expansive, numbering nearly two million vehicles in total. Meanwhile, the Tesla investigation is significantly smaller. Investigators have flagged a much smaller total of 416,000 vehicles.
In a statement amid their investigation into Tesla’s affected vehicles, the agency said, “The complaints allege that while utilizing the [advanced driver assistance system] features including adaptive cruise control, the vehicle unexpectedly applies its brakes while driving at highway speeds.”
So far, Tesla has not given any comment regarding their vehicles’ “phantom braking” problem.
