2026 Honda Passport

Beginning shortly after delivery in July 2026, the steering wheel produced an audible clicking noise when turned. It progressed steadily and by approximately 1,200 miles was present on essentially every turn of the wheel. At 1,300 miles the dealer diagnosed a failed clock spring (cable reel assembly) and replaced it under warranty in September 2026. The dealer stated this was a known issue on the Passport and other current Honda models and that no permanent fix was available. The noise returned within days of the replacement and has progressed at approximately the same rate as the original failure. At roughly 2,600 miles it is again present on essentially every turn of the wheel, equal in severity to the pre-repair condition. Safety concern: the clock spring carries the electrical circuit for the driver’s air bag, the horn, and the steering wheel controls. A second failure of this component on a vehicle less than four months old raises concern about the integrity of the air bag circuit and whether it will function in a crash. The condition was reproduced and confirmed by the dealer, who replaced the component under warranty. The vehicle is available for inspection. No warning lamps have appeared to date. The only symptom is the audible noise, which is why it is being reported before a failure occurs. Also noted: when the vehicle was returned after the clock spring replacement, the steering wheel had been reinstalled significantly off center, requiring roughly a one o’clock position to drive straight. This was corrected on a return visit. A case is open with the manufacturer. As of this filing, no diagnosis or repair plan has been provided and the condition remains unresolved.

NHTSA ID

11777378

Incident

Sep 14, 2026

Clicking of steering wheel at low speed and concern that it could impact the steering of the vehicle. Has progressively gotten more consistent at about 2500 miles. Happens regularly.

NHTSA ID

11777174

Incident

May 19, 2026

Steering wheel has started clicking anytime the steering wheel turns. Started shortly before 5,000 mi on a 2026 Honda trail sport elite.

NHTSA ID

11777121

Incident

Nov 10, 2026

At roughly 400 miles on the new vehicle the steering wheel is clicking whenever it is turned, regardless of direction. It is constant; there is no specific factor where it doesn’t occur.

NHTSA ID

11777066

Incident

Aug 10, 2026

Steering wheel makes a repeated clicking sound when turning, most noticeable at low speeds and when parking. Noise began at approximately 1,000 miles on 10/2026 and comes from behind the steering wheel. This symptom is consistent with a failing clock spring (cable reel assembly), which provides the electrical connection to the driver's front airbag, horn, and steering wheel controls. A failed clock spring could disable the driver's airbag without warning. Other 2026 Passport and 2026 Pilot owners report the same issue. Dealers have replaced the clock spring, and in some cases the steering wheel and column, but the noise often returns within days or weeks, suggesting the replacement parts are also defective. Honda has issued no service bulletin or recall for this condition. No warning lights have appeared yet. I request that NHTSA investigate the clock spring and steering column assembly on 2026 Honda Passport and Pilot vehicles.

NHTSA ID

11777039

Incident

Oct 30, 2026

Driving down the interstate and the sunroof exploded. It was closed.

NHTSA ID

11776838

Incident

Nov 9, 2026

Since around June 2026, the infotainment system in my 2026 Honda Passport shows 'Not connected to TCU,' 'Update error. See your dealer,' and update error codes TT04 (update interrupted/failed) and TT06 (update unavailable). The telematics control unit will not connect, so the vehicle cannot download or install over-the-air software updates, and HondaLink remote functions, the Wi-Fi hotspot, and built-in Google services do not work. I took the vehicle to Cannon Honda in August 2026 and to Ryan Honda in October 2026 for the same issue; neither dealer could fix it. Ryan Honda said they would contact Honda, but there has been no fix and no callback. Because the vehicle cannot receive over-the-air updates, it cannot receive any safety-related software updates delivered that way. This same failure has been reported by many other 2026 Passport owners.

NHTSA ID

11776164

Incident

Jun 1, 2026

The car, without any warning or issue in operation otherwise, failed to start and left the driver stranded on two separate occasions. The issue is not due to low battery charge as the battery was tested and shown to have 100% state of health and 65% + state of charge. Symptoms of the issue: the dashboard did not light up to show any warning lights at all; the infotainment head unit displayed an error message: "Feature not available while the car is in motion" when attempting to choose the driver profile (the car was off, not operational and not in motion); alarm system sounded with flashing lights; seat power was fully functional; the car, with brake depressed while pushing the engine on/off button, would not start or provide any feedback. The driver was left at a rest stop in a rural area off the interstate for over 6 hours waiting for a tow service that never showed up. Driver left the car at the rest stop, took a $130 Uber home and then rented a car to meet the tow service the next day since Honda Roadside assistance told the driver they needed to be present in order for the tow to take place. The tow service failed to show up again after over 3 hours of waiting. Honda Roadside assistance finally agreed to tow the car "unattended" to the nearest dealership. Said dealership had the car for two days and upon returning the car stated: "there have been 4 known such issues in the country with Honda Passports, we tried a few things and have it working again. We also replaced a retention clip to ensure the suspected cable doesn't become "soft-set" again. We don't think this will happen again, but in case it does...." and proceeded to show me how to reset the retention clip under the hood that was replaced. Unacceptable resolution, the car cannot be trusted and I have a case open with American Honda Motor trying to get them to take me out of the lease.

NHTSA ID

11776127

Incident

Nov 1, 2026

Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2026-2027 Passports with a customer complaint of a noise coming from the exhaust while driving. The noise can be described as rattling, grinding, scraping, whining, humming, buzzing, etc. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to collect information from the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind.

Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2026-2027 Passports with a customer complaint of a noise coming from the exhaust while driving. The noise can be described as rattling, grinding, scraping, whining, humming, buzzing, etc. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to collect information from the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind.

Tech Line Summary - The vehicle's infotainment system displays previously viewed SMS messages upon each ignition cycle, when the customer's Android phone is connected via Bluetooth.

Over the Air - System updates contain upgrades that fix operational errors and/or provide a variety of enhancements, which adds new functionality. Information about the various software releases can be found in this document. Use Audio system Version: 8A050-3BM-A015

Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2026 Passport with a customer complaint of the roof rail component(s) being visibly loose, deformed, warped or mis-set. Deformity or mis-set conditions may also cause wind or flapping noises. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to collect information from the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind.

Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2026 Passport with a customer complaint of the roof rail component(s) being visibly loose, deformed, warped or mis-set. Deformity or mis-set conditions may also cause wind or flapping noises. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to collect information from the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind.