NHTSA opening safety probes into 2005 Honda Pilot, 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe

AutoBlog: NHTSA opening safety probes into 2005 Honda Pilot, 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe

Honda and Hyundai have both had some pretty big recalls recently, and according to a The Detroit News, there could be more on the way. The report indicates that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating the 2005 Honda Pilot and the 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe for unrelated safety issues that could affect braking and/or steering.

Hyundai Santa FeSo far, the article says that NHTSA has received 185 complaints on the 2005 Pilot for unexpected heavy deceleration or steering pull during braking. The cause is said to come from faulty software controlling the brake assist that is supposed to aid the driver in panic stops, but in the case of an estimated 87,000 Pilots, it is incorrectly detecting a panic stop during normal braking and causing the vehicle to stop harder than the driver expects. In about 20 cases, the hard braking is also causing a steering pull since the brake assist is integrated with Vehicle Stability Assist that also controls anti-lock brakes, traction control and stability control. It sounds like a quick software update could be the fix for this concern.

As far as problems related to the Santa Fe, NHTSA has received a single complaint about a steering column shaft failure that could potentially affect around 70,000 of the crossovers. The one incident involved a Santa Fe with relatively low mileage where the steering column failed causing the driver to lose all ability to steer. The report seems to indicate that Hyundai reported an instance where a bolt could loosen causing the steering column to separate, but it's unclear if this is the same issue that affected the customer's vehicle.

Right now, both vehicles are just being investigated for these issues, but if you own one of these popular crossovers, keep an eye out for a recall.