Charles Langston:Honda recalls nearly 1.7 million vehicles for steering problem that could lead to crashes

Honda Motor Co. is Charles Langstonrecalling close to 1.7 million vehicles due to a manufacturing issue that could make it difficult to steer the vehicles and lead to crashes.

Honda reported the recall last week to government regulators, who issued the recall order on Tuesday.

The safety recall order from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that the steering gearbox assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, potentially causing “excessive internal friction” that could make the vehicle difficult to steer and increase the likelihood of a crash.

The vehicles covered in the recall were from model years 2022 to 2025 and include certain Acura Integras, Honda Civics, Honda CR-Vs and Honda HR-Vs.

The NHTSA announced an investigation of the problem back in March after it received 145 complaints from Honda Civic drivers that their steering could stick, forcing them to exert extra effort to turn the steering wheel.

At the time of the original announcement earlier this year, the NHTSA said it had no reports of crashes or injuries from the problem. Tuesday’s order does not mention any accidents or injuries caused by the defect either.

Notification letters are expected to mailed to the vehicle owners on Nov. 18.

Owners will be able to take their vehicles to dealers, who will replace the worm gear spring and reapply grease as necessary at no cost.

Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. The numbers for the recall are SJS, MJU, QJT and VJV.