NHTSA complaint #11748837

Owner complaint summary

Vehicle: 2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid Component: Steering (Electronic Power Steering / EPS Gearbox) Description of Safety Defect: While driving at highway speeds (above 45 mph), the steering wheel experiences a severe "sticky," "notchy," or binding sensation. It catches when making minor directional adjustments, requiring excessive and abrupt physical force to break the wheel free. This causes a dangerous over-correction hazard, creating an immediate risk of a crash or loss of vehicle control. This vehicle is exhibiting the exact mechanical failure symptoms described in NHTSA Safety Recall 24V-744 (Honda Service Bulletin 24-052) regarding a swollen worm gear and overtightened spring preload. However, when entering my 17-digit VIN into the NHTSA lookup tool, the vehicle shows up as excluded from the current recall population. The local authorized Honda dealership has diagnosed the vehicle, confirmed a complete failure of the electronic power steering rack assembly, and quoted a $5,000 out-of-pocket replacement. I am filing this complaint to formally report that the manufacturing defect identified in Recall 24V-744 is actively impacting vehicles outside of Honda's currently defined VIN production window. I request that the NHTSA investigate and expand the recall population to include all 2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid vehicles suffering from this systemic, catastrophic steering column failure.