Forward collision-avoidance and brake issues are among the top complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
In an early press release, the automaker states “adventure calls and” the “2022 Honda Passport answers.” It goes on to say that the truck’s cabin has been refreshed for “a sportier, adventurous character.” But owners whose Passports exhibit safety feature failures and brake malfunctions aren’t embracing the advertised adventure.
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Brakes and non-functional safety features that impact the forward collision-avoidance system are the most common problems owners of the 2022 Honda Passport are reporting. But other problems are also evident from complaints lodged with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
In addition to complaints identified as being caused by the forward collision-avoidance system and service brakes, six other components and systems are implicated. They are the airbags, back-over prevention, engine, exterior lighting, and vehicle speed control. There are also a couple of complaints listed as unknown or other.
One of these involves water accumulating on the floor of the passenger side of the truck. Honda said it was coming from the windshield … which it wasn’t. “It was coming from underneath the vehicle and the entire carpet needed to (be) replaced along with an extensive repair.”
There are also currently three recalls that affect the 2022 Honda Passport:
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Electrical System | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Engine | |
| Power Train | |
| Air Bags | |
| Back Over Prevention | |
| Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera |
Honda is proud of its Honda Sensing suite of safety and driver-assistive technologies. These include the:
But what happens when the safety systems don’t work?
An owner from Oklahoma describes in an NHTSA complaint how the truck “stopped measuring speed accurately.” This resulted in multiple vehicle measurements and all the safety features “becoming non-functional.” The dealership found that the sensor and sensor bolt “had backed out,” and they needed to be installed correctly. After this was done, “all systems functioned again.”
An owner from Minnesota tells how the Passport slowed down and then stopped on a city street. In this case, pulling over and restarting the car solved the problem. But the owner states in the complaint that there is a safety issue in the form of a risk for rear-end collisions.”
Another problem the 2022 Passport has exhibited is that it applies the “front collision system braking on curves and on (the) highway.” An owner from California states that this is very unsafe. I “have almost been rear-ended multiple times due to (the) front collision system engaging and applying brakes” randomly. This happens when there aren’t any vehicles or obstacles in sight at speeds between 30 and 50 mph in the city and 60-75 mph on highways. The “car is unpredictable and unsafe.”
An owner from Washington states the Passport has slammed on brakes while traveling on the highway at 60 mph and in the city at 35 mph. Then it did the same thing on an open 2-lane city road when there was a shadow on the road but no vehicles.
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There are varied complaints about brake problems. Several concern the brake pedal.
One complaint describes how when pressing down on the brake pedal to start the vehicle it won’t always go down. After it happened five times, he took it to the dealer, but they couldn’t find anything wrong. “I have changed the battery and tried the spare key fob.” But the problem persists.
Another owner describes an abnormal, squeaking sound that was apparent when pressing down on the brake pedal. In this case the dealer discovered that “both the clevis pin and the cotter pin clip were missing from the master brake cylinder.” The failure mileage was 7,000 and the fault was fixed.
“While stopped at a red light and depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal depressed to the floor, and the vehicle moved forward. The failure recurred on several occasions,” another complaint states. The dealership was able to duplicate the failure and replaced the brake master cylinder, the brake fluid, and the VSA modulator assembly. This 2022 Passport had only 2,200 on the clock when the failure occurred.
Apart from safety systems, there are also other established systems that automakers incorporate to keep drivers and passengers safe. Airbags are one component that vehicle owners rely on to mitigate injury. The repercussions from airbags that don’t deploy can be major. Here’s an example where two people were injured in a crash that wasn’t the Passport driver’s fault.
“I was rear-ended by a car going 60-70 mph. No airbags went off causing me and my passenger to take all the impact.” As a result, the driver had a sore back after the incident.
Automatic engine start/stop features are designed to save about 7% of fuel. Honda advises that when the idling stop system is switched on, it will automatically turn the engine of your vehicle on and off when you start up and stop. But owners of the 2022 Honda Passport are reporting to the NHTSA that the engine idle at stop function isn’t operating as it should.
An owner from Florida says that the “on/off switch only works some of the time, so I cannot control the function. It seems to turn off and on at random. When in stop and go traffic for any length of time where I need to edge forward every moment or so. The car is hesitating while the engine re-starts. I get honked at and am worried I’ll get bumped from behind while waiting for the engine to turn on and be responsive. I cannot get the function to turn off when I need it to, for my sense of safety.”
Another owner reports more simply that their Honda 2022 Elite Passport “has issues with idle stop.” It appears that the feature is temporarily interrupted when the system is warming up or charging.
If you think you have a lemon, contact Lemberg Law so that we can assess your problems. We have successfully negotiated many cash settlements, buybacks, trade-ins, and replacement vehicles for clients. You may not know, but the law makes the manufacturer pay if vehicles are lemons, so you don’t have to worry about legal bills.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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