The Honda name carries a reputation of unbeatable reliability with it, but owners of some of the Japanese brand's more heavy duty models have reported issues with their engines to federal officials. Now, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is again probing Honda Motor Company over engine failures in its 3.5-liter, J-series V-6 engines.
Documents posted by NHTSA date the start of the investigation to August 20, 2025, and explain that the J35 engine fitted to 2018-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2016-2020 Honda Pilot, 2018-2020 Honda Odyssey, and 2017-2019 Honda Ridgeline units is being investigated for regular connecting rod bearing failures. Unfortunately for Honda, the federal safety watchdog has recorded over 400 reports of complete engine failures. The J35 engine has been around since 1999, when it was first used in the Honda Odyssey, but a more modern iteration of the 3.5-liter six cylinder known as the J35Y is the subject of this federal investigation.
These engines have been subject to recalls previously, as a manufacturing error with the crankshaft was causing premature wear of the crank pin and ultimately resulting in the failure of the connecting rod bearings. This specific parts issue was addressed by a November 2023 recall, but NHTSA documents state that this most recent investigation differs in scope.
"It was determined that these engine failures are outside the scope of Honda Recall 23V-751. Further, evidence gathered in conjunction with RQ24013 does not suggest this failure is caused by the same crankshaft manufacturing defect that is addressed by Honda in Recall 23V-751," the investigation announcement reads.
This is not the first time Honda Motor Company has been probed by federal officials over the same engine issue. The Japanese automaker was subject to a November 2024 probe related to the 3.5-liter V-6 powerplant, which specifically focused on the potential need to expand the scope of the 2023 recall. Honda said it has 1450 warranty claims tied to the engine back in 2024, with current documentation showing the automaker has amassed a total of 2598 warranty claims. That means over 1000 additional warranty claims have been made in less than a year.
Complaints filed on NHTSA's website are plentiful for all the affected models, with one owner claiming that their engine failed with mileage as low as 22,000. Other complaints report that the engine problem manifested in preemptive stalling before the complete failure occurred. Similarly, many of the complaints allege that Honda dealerships are lacking the parts required to remedy this issue. Either way, it seems that Honda has its work cut out to not only find a proper remedy for this issue, but to then actually fix thousands of models.
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