Honda Malaysia recalls 36,000 vehicles - including Civic, Civic Type R, and CR-V - due to steering issue

Honda Malaysia has issued a recall for around 36,000 vehicles, including the Civic, Civic Type R, and CR-V, due to a potential issue with the electric power steering (EPS) gearbox. The recall covers Civic models from 2022-2024, Civic Type R from 2023-2024, and CR-V from 2024.

All this follows a similar move by Honda in North America (American Honda Motor Co.) in October, where approximately 1.7 million vehicles were recalled last month over a nearly identical steering issue.

The problem involves the EPS gearbox's worm wheel, which may expand, reducing the grease film thickness and causing premature wear. This could lead to abnormal steering noises or a sticky steering experience. To address this, Honda Malaysia will replace the EPS gearbox in affected models with an upgraded unit.

Honda Malaysia apologised for any inconvenience and clarified that other current production models - such as the City, WR-V and HR-V - remain unaffected by this recall.

The company plans to notify impacted customers through letters, detailing the required steps for the product update. Once notified, customers are encouraged to contact their nearest Honda authorised dealer to schedule an inspection or repair, as necessary.

However, rather than waiting for such a letter to arrive, if you are reading this as an owner of a potentially affected Honda vehicle, you are highly advised to make contact directly to your nearest Honda dealer as the earliest convenience.

The company confirmed that all inspection, repair, or replacement costs for affected parts will be covered by Honda Malaysia. The necessary replacement parts will be available in stages, starting December 2024, the queue of vehicles instructed to be brought in is expected to be staggered as well.