Honda Recalling 450,000 Vehicles Over Seat-Belt Defect

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a notice that nearly 450,000 Honda and Acura models are being recalled over seat-belt latches that may malfunction. 

Noted as a manufacturing defect in the report, it sounds as though the release button can get stuck and prohibit the seat belt from being properly secured. This represents an obvious safety concern that Honda and its supplier are going to be required to address. 

The NHTSA issued a letter to the automaker on March 14th, estimating the full tally as 448,613 units from the 2018-2020 model years. But Honda was already on the case and had determined that a safety defect existed – prompting it to conduct a safety recall – by March 2nd, meaning the NHTSA’s later documentation was just the obligatory paperwork being filed. 

While the total number of cars is not broken down by individual models, we do know which vehicles are impacted. Affected models include certain examples of the 2018-2019 Accord (including Hybrids), 2017-2018 CR-V, 2019 Insight, 2018-2020 Odyssey, and the 2019-2020 Acura RDX. Federal regulators likewise estimated that only about 1 percent of the pool actually possesses the relevant defect “based on supplier and manufacturing records.” Though they’ll still all have to be checked to satisfy the terms of the recall. 

“The seat belt buckle channel for the driver and front passenger seat belts were manufactured out of specification, causing interference between the buckle channel and the release button,” explains the report. “With continuous use, the buckle channel surface coating may deteriorate over time, and the release button may shrink against the channel at low temperatures, increasing friction. This can result in issues with the seat belt buckle latching.”

Beyond the problem being limited to the front seats, additional details are absent at this juncture. 

Honda first caught wind of the issue in 2019 and reportedly launched an investigation that included testing the relevant parts at extremely low temperatures that same year. However, serious concerns about the scope of the problem don’t seem to manifest until late in 2022. Honda has also stated that (as of March 2nd, 2023) it had received 301 warranty claims pertaining to the issue between March 22, 2019, and January 16, 2023 – none of which were accompanied by any reports of injury or death. 

Dealers will replace the driver and front passenger seat belt buckle release buttons or the buckle assemblies as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed notices starting April 17, 2023. However, owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138 or utilize the NHTSA website for more information. 

[Image: Stanislavskyi/Shutterstock]

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