Honda "Sticky Steering" Overview

The within proposed multi-jurisdictional automotive defect class proceeding involves certain model and model year Honda- and Acura-brand vehicles equipped with electronic power steering (“EPS”), defined below as the “Affected Class Vehicles,” engineered, designed, developed, manufactured, assembled, tested, marketed, distributed, supplied, leased, and/or sold by the Defendants, HONDA MOTOR COMPANY, LTD. (“HMC”), HONDA CANADA INC. (“HCI”), and/or HONDA DEVELOPMENT & MANUFACTURING OF AMERICA, LLC (“HDMA”), in Canada, including the Province of British Columbia.

In particular, the EPS system in the Affected Class Vehicles is equipped with a defective gearbox assembly, which renders the vehicles prone to random momentary failures during normal use, typically at highway speeds, requiring increased steering effort or input by the driver—a phenomenon often described by drivers as “sticky steering” (the “Steering Defect”), thereby posing a real, substantial, and imminent risk of harm and/or injury to vehicle occupants and other users of the road.

The Steering Defect arises from defects in the gearbox assembly used in the EPS system, including: (i) deformation of the worm wheel teeth over time due to improper annealing and component conditioning during manufacturing, causing the worm gear to catch on the worm wheel and/or reducing the thickness of the grease film between the components; (ii) the application of an inadequate amount of grease or lubrication in the gearbox during the manufacturing process; and/or (iii) the worm gear spring preload being set excessively high, which increases gear slide load and results in higher friction and increased torque fluctuation during steering.

As a result of the Steering Defect, the EPS gearbox assembly generates increased friction and resistance during steering input, causing the steering wheel to momentarily resist movement before suddenly releasing.

“Affected Class Vehicles” include, but are not limited to, the following model-year Honda- and Acura-brand vehicles:

ACURA MODEL VEHICLES

Integra (2023 - 2025)

Integra Type S (2024 - 2025)

HONDA MODEL VEHICLES

Civic (2022 - 2025)

Civic Hybrid (2025)

Civic Hatchback (2022 - 2025)

Civic Hatchback Hybrid (2025)

Civic Type R (2023 - 2025)

CR-V (2023 - 2025)

CR-V Fuel Cell EV (2025)

CR-V Hybrid (2023 - 2025)

HR-V (2023 - 2025)

The Steering Defect causes drivers to exert additional force to steer the vehicle, resulting in jerking, over-steering, and/or over-correction. The Steering Defect was present at the time of sale and/or lease and is inherent in each of the Affected Class Vehicles, which are equipped with the same or substantially similar defective EPS system.

A vehicle’s steering system is a critical safety component that must function reliably and predictably at all times. Even brief interruptions or resistance in steering can compromise a driver’s ability to control the vehicle and avoid hazards.

The Steering Defect is material because steering interruptions—even momentary ones—can lead to loss of vehicle control and increase the risk of collisions. As a result of the Steering Defect, the Affected Class Vehicles pose a real, substantial, and imminent risk of harm and/or injury to vehicle occupants and other users of the road.

At all material times to cause of action herein, the Defendants had exclusive knowledge and possession of material facts concerning the Steering Defect, which were not known and could not have been reasonably discovered by the Plaintiff or putative class members prior to purchase and/or lease of the Affected Class Vehicles.

The Defendants knew, or ought to have known, since at least 2021, if not earlier, of the Steering Defect and the associated risks based on, inter alia: pre-production design and validation testing; durability and component stress testing; internal engineering analyses and failure investigations; post-sale warranty data; dealer repair records; service bulletins and internal dealer communications; consumer complaints made directly to the Defendants; and consumer complaints lodged with American and Canadian government vehicle safety regulators, including the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) and/or Transport Canada.

In these circumstances, the Defendants had an affirmative duty to disclose the existence and nature of the Steering Defect at the point of sale and/or lease of the Affected Class Vehicles, which they failed to do.

Beginning in or around July 2023, after receiving numerous consumer complaints regarding the Steering Defect, the Defendants issued multiple Service Bulletins (“SBs”) acknowledging steering issues in the Affected Class Vehicles and purporting to address the Steering Defect. These SBs have been revised on multiple occasions, and the prescribed repair procedures have likewise been modified.

Rather than replacing the EPS gearbox assembly with a properly functioning unit, or replacing the defectively manufactured components within the gearbox, the Defendants in or around October 2024 implemented piecemeal recall countermeasures, including replacing the spring assembly and redistributing or adding grease within the EPS gearbox assembly. These recall countermeasures do not adequately remedy or fix the underlying Steering Defect.

Despite these recall countermeasures, Affected Class Vehicles continue to experience increased steering effort and irregular steering behavior consistent with the Steering Defect.

Despite their knowledge of the Steering Defect, the Defendants failed to implement an adequate repair capable of remedying or fixing the defect within the expected useful life of the Affected Class Vehicles.

As a direct and proximate result of the Defendants’ failure to disclose the Steering Defect and their conduct in engineering, designing, developing, manufacturing, assembling, testing, marketing, distributing, supplying, leasing, and/or selling the Affected Class Vehicles, the Plaintiff and putative class members have suffered and continue to suffer loss and damage, including that they: (i) overpaid for the Affected Class Vehicles because they were not of merchantable quality and not fit for their ordinary purpose; (ii) own and/or lease vehicles that are unsafe, unreliable, and dangerous; (iii) own and/or lease vehicles with significantly diminished resale value; and (iv) have incurred and will continue to incur out-of-pocket expenses for diagnosis, inspection, repair, and replacement of components associated with the EPS system.

The Plaintiff and putative class members purchased and/or leased Affected Class Vehicles that they would not have purchased and/or leased, or would have paid less for, had the Defendants disclosed the Steering Defect.

In engineering, designing, developing, manufacturing, assembling, testing, marketing, distributing, supplying, leasing and/or selling the Affected Class Vehicles, the Defendants have engaged in unfair, deceptive, and/or misleading consumer practices, and further have breached their express warranties and the implied conditions of merchantable quality and fitness for purpose.

The Plaintiff and putative class members reasonably expected that the Defendants would disclose material defects affecting the safety, reliability, durability, and performance of the Affected Class Vehicles, including defects that could result in costly and non-routine repairs such as replacement of the EPS gearbox assembly. The Defendants failed to disclose the Steering Defect.

The Plaintiff seeks relief on behalf of all owners and/or lessees of the Affected Class Vehicles with the Steering Defect, including, without limitation, damages; declaratory and injunctive relief; repair or replacement pursuant to applicable provincial consumer protection legislation; damages for breach of express warranty and breach of implied conditions of merchantable quality and fitness for purpose; relief for breaches of applicable competition legislation; and reimbursement of all costs and expenses incurred in connection with diagnosing and repairing the EPS system in the Affected Class Vehicles.

Factual Allegations

Automotive power steering is a system designed to reduce the amount of effort needed to be exerted by a driver to turn the steering wheel. Steering is heavy and requires significant effort in a vehicle without power assisted steering of some kind, especially at low speeds.

The 1951 Chrysler Imperial was the first production vehicle to have power-assisted steering, and other vehicle manufacturers soon offered power-assisted steering. Most power-assisted steering systems (commonly referred to as “power steering”) between the 1950s and early 2000s were hydraulic—an engine-powered pump pressurized hydraulic fluid in a mechanical system, such as rack-and-pinion or recirculating-ball systems, to reduce the driver effort needed to turn the steering wheel. Over time, power steering went from optional to standard equipment.

Power steering systems evolved over time. In recent years, electric power steering systems became the prevailing type of power steering system. EPS systems use electric motors to provide steering assistance. In most vehicles, the vehicle’s Electronic Control Unit (“ECU”) is then able to adjust the amount of assistance based on inputs, including the vehicle’s speed.

The Defendant, HMC, introduced its first EPS system on the 1993 Acura NSX, and began installing EPS on some Civics in North America in 2002. The Defendant, HMC, describes EPS as follows:

Using a brush-type DC motor installed concentrically around the steering rack, the system combines torque and velocity information from the steering wheel with vehicle-speed information to calculate the optimum amount of steering assist to provide. Utilizing electronic sensors and a sophisticated electronic control unit (ECU) allowed engineers to decrease steering assist at higher speeds and increase it at lower speeds when it’s most needed.

In 2012, the Defendant, HMC, installed Motion-Adaptive EPS on all Honda Civic models. By July 2015, if not before, the Defendant, HMC, knew of and was investigating consumer complaints regarding EPS in 2012-2015 Honda Civics. Many of the problems in the 2012-2015 Honda Civics are similar to the Steering Defect in the Affected Class Vehicles.

All Affected Class Vehicles utilize an electronically assisted rack-and-pinion steering system and are substantially similar or identical with respect to the EPS system, including the EPS gearbox assembly. The EPS system incorporates an electric motor and reduction gear mounted to the steering rack to assist the driver in turning the wheels to the left or right.

In particular, the EPS system in the Affected Class Vehicles comprises of a steering wheel that is attached to a steering shaft, which passes under the dashboard, through the firewall and connects to the gearbox assembly, which contains the worm wheel and worm gear that are the subject of the Steering Defect.

The EPS gearbox assembly connects to the front wheels through the steering rack and tie rods and is mounted to the subframe beneath the vehicle, which also supports the engine, transmission, and front wheels and suspension components.

The amount of steering assistance (or boost) is controlled by a dedicated ECU for the EPS system, the EPS module, which monitors the driver’s input to the steering wheel and adds boost in the same direction as the driver is turning the steering wheel. The EPS module determines the amount of boost with inputs from the steering assist motor angle and torque sensors, the vehicle speed sensors, and from other vehicle systems, including the Anti-lock Braking System control module, the Lane Keep Assist system, and Vehicle Stability Assist system.

As a result of defects in manufacturing, the teeth of the worm wheel within the EPS gearbox assembly become deformed over time, causing the worm wheel to catch on the worm gear. This creates resistance felt by the driver and directly countervails the purpose of the EPS system, which is to reduce the effort required to steer. Moreover, the lack of consistent grease application contributes to the momentary increase in steering effort.

Sticky steering caused by the defective EPS gearbox typically manifests during normal driving conditions, including when the vehicle is travelling in a straight line and the driver attempts to make minor steering adjustments to maintain lane position. As the driver initiates a small steering input, the steering wheel may exhibit abnormal resistance. When additional force is applied to overcome this resistance, the steering input may suddenly release, resulting in overcorrection. This can cause the vehicle to deviate from its intended path, requiring the driver to make corrective steering inputs in the opposite direction. This process may repeat in both directions, such that the driver must continuously compensate to maintain control of the vehicle.

All Affected Class Vehicles are equipped with EPS gearbox assemblies of the same or substantially similar design and are manufactured using the same or substantially similar processes. As a result, the EPS gearbox assemblies share common defects, including the propensity for the worm wheel to deform over time and bind against the worm gear, as well as inadequate lubrication within the gearbox assembly. The shared characteristics give rise to the Steering Defect across the Affected Class Vehicles.

The EPS gearboxes installed in the Affected Class Vehicles are manufactured, in whole or in part, by Astemo, Ltd., formerly Hitachi Astemo, Ltd. (“Astemo”), an entity substantially owned and/or controlled by the Defendant, HMC.

Astemo has been the subject of reported quality control issues. On or about May 19, 2023, Astemo publicly disclosed that it had identified misconduct in product testing at multiple facilities, in some cases spanning several decades.