By now, we all know what an automotive recall is. Every car company recalls their cars occasionally for any issues that need a fix. This means that at the time of production, any part of the car could not be built up to the standards and give issues to the end users. Today, we are going to discuss steering rack issue in Honda Civic 11th generation.  Sometimes recalls are associated with the electronic module, which needs a software update. Some recalls are minor and do not pose any danger to the car owners immediately, but some truly need immediate action, like in the case of the famous Takata Airbag recall. In Europe or North America, Federal agencies regulate vehicle safety, and crash testing and keep track of customer feedback about vehicles. In the United States, the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), part of the Department of Transportation, is responsible for new car assessment programs for safety, developing and enforcing rules and regulations set by federal Motor Vehicle Safety standards as FMVSS. Federal agency not only works in close connection with car companies but also with consumers. NHTSA, on their website, not only share official details on the crash testing for the vehicle but also allow consumers to share any problems they are facing with the model. Sometimes car companies themselves generate recalls via a federal agency if they find any issue, while sometimes, the federal agency can start an investigation if the majority of consumers report a particular problem. If the investigation results in an issue, NHTSA not only enforces recall but also collects data if that specific problem resulted in any crash, injuries, or fatalities. 11th Gen Honda Civic & 145 Complaints: The 11th generation was launched in North America back in April 2021. The model received a 5-star crash test rating from NHTSA while Top Safety Pick + Rating from an independent agency IIHS. The 11th gen model also won the prestigious North American Car of the year award for 2022. For the last several months, many 11th gen Civic owners in the United States and Canada have started reporting issues with the steering system on social media groups and online forums. Owners also started recording the issue to the federal agency NHTSA via an online reporting system. Meanwhile, owners also shared that they have been individually contacting their dealerships, and, in some cases, the entire steering rack was replaced to fix the problem. As of March 17th, 145 reports were recorded with NHTSA for a similar steering issue. You can read all 145 complaints here on NHTSA Complaints. After carefully reviewing all the field reports, NHTSA has opened a Federal investigation into the problem via ODI/ Office of Defects Investigation. Honda America will be supporting the investigation and will be providing all the details related to steering system replacement at their dealerships under warranty and details of all the complaints they have received from customers for a similar issue. Remember that car dealerships record and document every customer complaint on their system by law when any customer visits the dealership or even if someone calls for a problem. Suppose the NHTSA investigation results in any manufacturing defect or issue with the steering rack. In that case, Honda USA will recall all vehicles regardless of whether a certain car faced any problem. This means that approximately 238,271 Honda Civics in the USA [ model years 22 and 23 ] are under a cloud of recall for EPS. This number can increase because defective parts might still be there, and those vehicles will go into consumers' hands until the recall is initiated. NHTSA has not issued a STOP SALE notice and is currently in the investigation stage. Read the document here > NHTSA Investigation. [gallery size="publisher-lg" bgs_gallery_type="slider" ids="174919,174917,174915"] What Is The Issue With EPS? As per customers, they are experiencing a "STICKY STEERING," means an abnormal behavior of electric power steering and the driver feeling a certain level of resistance from steering, making it heavier and harder to maneuver. This means the driver must put extra force into making steering corrections. It is important to note that this problem is reported to be experienced at highway speeds and even with the Lane Assist safety feature turned off. Additionally, this happens randomly and without any indication of EPS light in the instrument cluster. The sticky steering issue happens randomly and remains momentary and experienced after driving a certain time on the highway. As per NHTSA, this can be a hazardous safety situation, especially if the driver has to avoid an abrupt road hazard and if the driver makes an overcorrection by applying more than the required steering input when the steering is sticky. Pakistan Domestic Model Complaints? The steering issue is not new for Honda Civic owners in Pakistan, and many people experienced it in the 10th generation Civic. Many Civic owners have replaced their steering racks under warranty and in some cases, twice. Besides, many individuals replaced it at their own cost because the vehicle was out of warranty. Now, it should be noted that many 11th-generation Civic owners in Pakistan are facing the issue of steering similar to what consumers are experiencing in North America. PakWheels Editorial reported the steering issue back in November 2022 when some owners reached out for help. Some owners already replaced the steering rack of the 11th generation Civic in Pakistan under warranty from Atlas (images of one such steering rack shared below, credit Salman Zahid). However, many individuals are waiting for the steering racks because Honda Atlas don't have parts in their inventory due to strict import restriction by the government. The government of Pakistan should clear spare parts because it hurts current product consumers, especially if those parts need immediate replacement due to safety hazards. [gallery size="publisher-lg" bgs_gallery_type="slider" ids="174926,174928,174930"] What Should Honda Atlas Do? Honda Atlas must also entertain warranty coverage of this issue even if the vehicle is out of warranty timeline by duration or odometer reading as long as there is no external impact or other damage to the steering rack. The compa must extend the warranty of the steering rack because this part is defective from the factory and is currently being investigated already overseas. Honda has acknowledged the problem in the United States. A consumer should not pay for a problematic part from the factory. I would also like to report that many owners have also reported a similar issue in Thailand, and Philippines, and Malaysia, and the steering system has been replaced there; as well, reconfirm that the issue is either with the manufacturing at the supplier or the part design and working principle itself. So, this problem is global, and Pakistan is also impacted and obviously for the reason that we import parts. Lastly, it is highly recommended that if you are facing this issue in your vehicle, please report it to the dealer and make a record of it even if you faced it only once. You must be very careful while driving on highways and avoid making any abrupt steering maneuvers because you never know your steering is sticky at that time. Any over-correction might result in loss of control and cars flipping over. Currently, there are no global data of any accidents due to this steering issue, but don't become part of statistics. If you are a Civic XI owner facing or have faced this issue, please share in the comments.

Today we’re back with the owner’s review of a 2023 Honda HR-V VTI S. The HR-V was launched in Pakistan in October of 2022 in 2 variants. It has a 1.5 liter naturally aspirated engine producing around 119 hp and 145 nm of torque. This engine is configured with a CVT transmission along with a front-wheel drive system. The owner shares his experience with this crossover in this review and briefs us about its specs and features. Purchase Decision The owner was driving Honda vehicles for the last few years, including a Civic turbo and the BR-V. After considering shifting to a new crossover, he preferred the seasoned Japanese brands rather than new entrants. He was impressed by the HR-V's design, so much so that he was even ready to give up the two extra seats of his BR-V. He bought the car for 6.7 million rupees, including a 4.5 lacs premium. Salient Features The HR-V comes equipped with a decent amount of features which include dual-zone climate control with a curtain air-flow system, which the owner thinks is pretty functional. Besides that, it has a push start, a leather interior with colour options, steering multimedia controls, rear AC vents, LED headlamps, an electronic parking brake, wireless charging, a floating infotainment screen, etc. Some features, however, are missing like cruise control, electric seats, ADAS features and a panoramic roof which the owner misses. Fuel Average The 1.5 liter DOHC engine in the HR-V delivers a pretty decent fuel average. The owner gets around 13 to 14 km/l within city but with extensive main road travel, while this average drops to 12 in busy routes. On the highway, the owner got around 16 km/l at a maintained speed of 110 to 120 km/h. Space As per the owner, cabin space is ideal for 4 passengers, while 5 people can still travel comfortably due to the decent legroom. Boot space is a little compromised because of the swooping roof line as the owner compares it to the BR-V, which had relatively more space to store luggage. Maintenance The owner has had the first service done from Honda after 1000 kilometers but is yet to take it for its first periodic maintenance. He says maintenance is pretty straightforward, and the cost is similar to cars like the Honda City and the Corolla Altis. As for the parts, they are available at the dealerships, but prices are relatively high. Watch Video

Honda BRV is one of the popular models launched by Honda Atlas Cars in Pakistan. This B-segment crossover SUV can be seen on roads in almost every part of Pakistan due to its utility and mobility. The vehicle is famous mainly due to its seven seats, making it great for a large family (5 or more members). The important thing to notice is that this is the only 7-seater in this price range as other vehicles with the same feature are quite expensive compared to BRV.               Then the car has an excellent ground clearance of 201mm, meaning it is a perfect ride to take anywhere in the country. You can have a family trip to the mountains in the north or visit the deserts of South Punjab and Sindh. This machine will be your companion on all roads making your trips memorable. And that is why this is considered the "truly best family car". Furthermore, being a Honda car it is extremely reliable and durable and would not leave you stranded on any road or location due to technical or electrical fault as you can trust Honda BRV to be your trustable companion in all conditions. Since its launch, there have been no quality concerns and it has won the trust of its owners with its performance. And it can be seen from the BRV owners' satisfaction as they use it for daily and memorable trips.  In Pakistan, one of the consumers' biggest concerns regarding cars is their maintenance cost and availability of spare parts. These two aspects play a huge role in car purchasing decisions, and Honda BRV fulfills both requirements with ease. Not only is the car effortless to maintain, but it is also very reasonable and light on your pocket. You don't have to worry about its oil change, filters change, or other issues because they are available at very reasonable prices in the local market. Also, the spare parts of Honda BRV can be found in every part of Pakistan due to Honda's name and extensive dealership network. You can contact Honda dealerships for its spare parts, and without any problem, you will find them easily, sparing you from any hassle.    These qualities of the Honda BRV make it an excellent car for every owner because it lets you enjoy it with your family and friends, which is the most important part of your life.

After the government's 25% GST on luxury items, Honda car prices have increased. It is pertinent to mention that this is the company's fourth hike in the last 2.5 months. In its notification, the car assembler cited the devaluation of PKR against the USD and the jump of sales tax from 18% to 25% as the reasons for this fresh price increase. The new ex-factory and provisional prices are applicable from March 14, 2023. Honda City New Prices After the previous price hike, Honda City M/T 1.2L used to cost Rs. 4,579,000. But after the new jump of Rs. 220,000, it now costs Rs. 4,799,000. Similarly, the old price of City CVT 1.2L was Rs. 4,729,000, and now the new price has been increased by Rs. 200,000, and the new price is Rs. 4,929,000. Moreover, City CVT 1.5L now costs Rs. 5,549,000 instead of the old Rs. 5,019,000. The difference is Rs. 530,000. Honda City Aspire M/T 1.5L also saw a jump in price with an increase of Rs. 530,000. The old price was Rs. 5,229,000, but the new price is Rs. 5,759,000. Honda City Aspire CVT 1.5L is now at a price tag of Rs. 5979,000. It saw an increase of Rs. 560,000 and was previously at Rs. 5,419,000. Honda BR-V New Prices Honda BR-V CVT S used to be priced at Rs. 5,949,000, but after an increase of Rs. 580,000, it now costs Rs. 6,529,000 Honda HR-V New Prices The first variant, Honda HR-V VTi, used to cost Rs. 7,199,000, and after a jump of a whooping Rs. 700,000, its new price is Rs. 7,899,000. The price of the second variant, Honda HR-V VTi S, saw a hike of Rs. 800,000, and now it costs Rs. 8,199,000 instead of Rs. 7,399,000. Honda Civic New Prices Honda Civic variants were not left behind in this hike either. The Civic 1.5L M-CVT now costs Rs. 8,599,000 instead of Rs. 7,779,000 as its price has been increased by Rs. 820,000. Honda Civic 1.5L Oriel M-CVT costs Rs. 8,949,000 compared to the old price of Rs. 8,099,000 as the company hiked its price by Rs. 850,000. Lastly, Honda Civic RS 1.5L LL-CVT is now priced at Rs. 10,199,000 instead of Rs. 9,199,000 after seeing an increase of Rs. 1,000,000. What is your take on new Honda car prices? Please tell us in the comments section.