2024 Dodge Hornet Phev Steering Problems

“This involves a rental from AVIS at Orlando International Airport that I picked up on the 24th of March. I drove up to Palm Coast, as that journey progressed I began to notice that turning the steering wheel, either right or left the beginning of that motion had no effect on the direction of the car, which meant you had to turn the wheel further than you would normally that gave the driver a lack of confidence in the steering. This got progressively worse over the next couple of days, so I investigated to see what was wrong. …”

“Dear NHTSA Safety Defects Division, I am writing to report a safety issue I have identified that affects several modern vehicles, particularly from manufacturers including Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Ford, and Dodge (Hornet model specifically). This issue relates to the overactivation of the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system and related sensors, including wheel speed sensors, yaw rate sensors, and forward-facing cameras. Over the past two years, I’ve conducted extensive personal testing and analysis across multiple vehicles and brands. …”

“The vehicle was leased as a new vehicle with 665 miles on the odometer. Immediately upon driving home, I tried activating the ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) feature on the highway and received a Highway Assist Unavailable Service Required error message. The vehicle was taken back to the dealership to be looked at and repaired. Waited for the vehicle for about 3 hours till they repaired and tested the vehicle. The vehicle passed the test and was repaired and delivered back to me. When driving home and exiting the highway, a Forward Collision Warning message was displayed disabling the system. …”

“The contact rented a 2024 Dodge Hornet. While driving 50-75 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormally loud sound, and the steering wheel was not turning as intended. Additionally, the steering wheel and the front axle were not responding as intended, and constant adjustments were needed; the contact had to grip the steering wheel tightly. The contact stated that the failure increased while turning the steering wheel. The vehicle was driven back to the rental agency. No further information was available. The failure mileage was approximately 48,025.”