Aug 25 (Reuters) - The National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration is opening a probe into more than 1.4 million

Honda ( HMC ) vehicles sold in the United States over concerns

that connecting rod bearing failures in their engines could lead

to complete engine failure.

In a letter dated August 20, the regulator said it received

414 reports of the issue in various Honda ( HMC ) and Acura vehicles'

3.5-liter V6 engine.

The investigation covers 2018-2020 model year Acura TLX,

2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2016-2020 Honda Pilot, 2018-2020 Honda

Odyssey, and 2017-2019 Honda Ridgeline vehicles.

In 2024, the agency probed 1.4 million Honda ( HMC ) vehicles on

reports of serious engine issues following the Japanese

automaker recalling 249,000 vehicles in November 2023.

Honda ( HMC ) issued the recall to address a possible manufacturing

defect in the engine crankshaft which could cause the connecting

rod bearing to prematurely wear and seize, leading to engine

failure.

The U.S. auto safety agency said in the August 20 letter it

is opening another investigation to more thoroughly evaluate the

scope and severity of the potential issue and to fully assess

related safety concerns, following the closure of its previous

probe.

NHTSA said that the high volume of engine failure reports in

vehicles not covered by the previous investigation poses a

potential safety risk.

(Reporting by Disha Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank

Dhaniwala)