Honda recalls 210,000 cars over risk drive shaft will snap

December 7th, 2021 Update – Honda (NYSE: HMC) has remedied 87771 vehicles including the 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid that suffered from drive shaft issues. 588 were deemed unreachable while another 28531 were removed from the Honda drive shaft recall. The recall was performed in three groups in January 2021 through February 2021. A similar problem with the driveshaft occurred in 2017 on Honda Civic Sedans vehicles produced between August and September 2017.

Torrance, CA – December 23, 2020 – Honda (NYSE: HMC) is recalling 210,000 vehicles in the so-called “salt belt” whose drive shafts – which transfers power to the wheels – may become corroded and break. This could cause the vehicle to stall or roll away when parked.  The recall includes:

  • 2013 – 2015 Acura ILX cars
  • 2013 Acura ILX hybrids
  • 2012 Honda Civic hybrids
  • 2007 – 2008 Honda Fits

Recall summary

This recall is one of two Honda has issued for vehicles sold or registered in the 22 states that use salt to de-ice roads in the winter. Salt can be very corrosive to the underside of vehicles.

The recalled vehicles’ drive shafts are supposed to have a protective coating, but due to a manufacturing error, the paint on the driveshaft may peel and chip over time and potentially cause corrosion, due to exposed bare metal . Left unprotected, road salt can eat away at the driveshaft and cause it to break. As a result, and similar to the 2020 Ford Explorer, the vehicle may stall or roll away when parked.

Other ‘salty’ recalls

Salt was also the culprit of a recent Ford recall of its 2013-2017 Explorer SUVs. In that case, the substance corroded the bottom of the vehicles and caused their toe links – which form part of them and ensure that the cars go in the right direction – to snap. In May of last year, Mazda also pulled close to 50,000 cars off the market to replace faulty parts that could result in a loss of power steering. The recall also came about because of corrosion caused by road salt.

Safety risks

Stalling, especially on the freeway, can increase the risk of a rear-end crash. Vehicles with a broken driveshaft could also roll away if parked on a slope without engaging the emergency brake.

As of November 24, 2020, 152 owners have sent Honda warranty claims relating to this issue. Honda has received 10 additional reports of drive shaft breakage, but none describe any accidents or injuries.

Read more about what to do if your vehicle stalls here.

Repair

Repair parts are not yet available for all the recalled vehicles. Owners will have to wait until February 1 to find out more about how to get this defect fixed. When a repair does become available, it will be performed by a Honda dealer for free. Honda will reimburse owners who have already repaired corroded drive shafts.

Is your vehicle part of this recall?

Over 200,000 cars are included in this Honda recall. To see if your car is one of them, use MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool to check your car for open recalls.

Rebecca RandHonda recalls 210,000 cars over risk drive shaft will snap

Honda minivans and SUVs recalled for faulty control panel

Pleasanton, CA – July 29, 2020 – Honda (NYSE: HMC) has recalled 607,784 vans and SUVs with malfunctioning instrument panels and rear view cameras.  This is one of the five recalls Honda issued so far this year. This recall includes:

  • 2018-2020 Honda Odyssey minivans
  • 2019-2020 Honda Passport SUVs
  • 2019-2021 Honda Pilot SUVs

Recall summary  

Due to a glitch in programming, the vehicles’ instrument panels have been known to randomly turn off depriving the driver of vital information – such as the car’s speed and oil level – and disabling the rear view camera display.  The shutdown has sometimes been accompanied by a continuous beeping or crackling noise that has been really distracting to drivers.

Risks

Rearview cameras display a 10-foot to 20-foot zone directly behind the car to avoid backover crashes. If the camera malfunctions when the car is in reverse that can result in an accident. In fact, one of the Honda drivers reported leading up to the recall that the frozen rearview camera display caused him to nearly hit his neighbor when backing out of the driveway!

Separately, not having access to vital safety information such as the car’s speed or oil level is very dangerous. It can, for example, cause the driver to go over the speed limit or bring about the engine’s failure, increasing the risk of a crash.

Finally, having the infotainment system fail – or hearing any kind of unusual noises – while driving can be very distracting.  Distracted driving is dangerous— in 2018, distracted driving killed 2,841 people and injured 400,000 more. 

The repair

Honda will update the car’s software, which should stop the infotainment system from crashing. The update is available for free at dealerships now, and should take a half day or less to be completed.

Is your vehicle part of this recall?

Over 600,000 vehicles are included in this Honda recall. To see if your car is one of them, use MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.

Rebecca RandHonda minivans and SUVs recalled for faulty control panel

Honda issues a second recall for faulty sliding doors

Pleasanton, CA – July 29, 2020 – Honda (NYSE: HMC) will recall 324,194 vans whose sliding doors might not fully latch and could slide open while the car is moving.  The recall includes:

2018-2020 Honda Odyssey

Recall summary

The recalled vehicles were designed with reduced moisture protection. As a result, in cold temperatures, water can seep in and freeze on cables inside the door handle. The frozen cables cannot move properly, which could keep the door from fully latching shut.

This is the second time the manufacturer conducts a recall for the same issues.  As a result of the first recall, Honda replaced the door latches, but some vans’ doors continued to slide open while driving. 

The issue has not resulted in injuries or crashes but there have been 31 incidents so far, according to Honda.

Risks

If a car door suddenly opens while a vehicle is moving it poses a safety hazard to occupants who could fall out of the car. Falls from vehicles account for 17% of all non-crash vehicle fatalities, according to a 2015 report by the National Highway Transit Safety Administration (NHTSA). These falls caused 75,000 injuries between 2011 and 2012, the report says.

Repair

Honda will replace the cables inside the door handle at no cost to the owner. The repair is already available, though official owner notifications will not be sent until September 23.

Is your vehicle part of this recall?

Over 300,000 vehicles are included in this Honda recall. To see if your car is one of them, use MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.

Rebecca RandHonda issues a second recall for faulty sliding doors

Honda recalls minivans for rear view camera leak and software glitch

Pleasanton, CA – May 10, 2022 – Honda Motor Company (NYSE:HMC) has remedied issues with 159,860 2019-2020 Honda Odyssey Minivans that had failures with the rearview camera. Additionally, 297 of these vehicles have been categorized as unreachable and 686 have been removed from the recall. Two groups of these 2019-2020 Honda Odyssey Minivans with rearview camera failures were remedied in 2020 and three groups were remedied during 2021.

Pleasanton, CA – July 28 2020 – Honda (NYSE: HMC) has recalled 212,068 Odyssey minivans with faulty rear view cameras. The recall includes 2019 and 2020 Honda Odyssey Minivans.  

Recall summary  

The rear view camera display on the recalled vehicles may fail to appear, look distorted or produce an error message.

This is a result of one of the two issues. The first one is that – because of a design flaw – moisture can penetrate the camera via the mounting holes, damaging it or disabling it altogether. The rearview image may also fail to display due to a programming glitch that disables the camera in bright environments. 

2018 Honda Odysseys may also experience these issues and will be provided with the same fix as the vehicles above.

Risks

Back-up crashes kill an estimated 284 people a year and injure around 12,000, according to the NHTSA. Rearview camera systems are intended to help prevent back-up crashes by showing the driver a 10-foot to 20-foot area behind the vehicle.

Since 2018, the National Highway Transit Safety Administration (NHTSA) has required all new vehicle models to be made with rearview cameras. Now a necessity rather than an accessory, it is required by law that these cameras function properly.

The repair

Honda will replace the rear-view camera with a redesigned one, free of charge. The company will notify owners on or around September 23. Because there are several open recalls on Honda 2018-20 Odyssey vehicles, you may be able to have multiple recall repairs completed at once. This could take about a day, according to the experience of some Honda owners.

Is your vehicle part of this recall?

Over 200,000 vehicles are included in this Honda recall. To see if your car is one of them, use MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.

Rebecca RandHonda recalls minivans for rear view camera leak and software glitch

Honda minivans and SUVs recalled for faulty rear view camera

Pleasanton, CA – July 28 2020 – Honda (NYSE: HMC) has recalled 499,342 Pilot, Odyssey, and Passport vehicles that have a delayed or inoperative rear view camera display. This issue can reduce the driver’s view of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash. The recall includes:

  • 2019-2020 Honda Odyssey Minivans
  • 2019-2020 Honda Passport SUVs
  • 2019-2021 Honda Pilot SUVs

Recall summary  

In July, Honda announced that there is a glitch in the vehicles’ software responsible for controlling the instrument panel and the audio system. Due to the error, the backup camera image may not display or may be delayed so when the vehicle is started, the display audio and rearview camera both stay off. 2018 Honda Odysseys may also experience this issue and will be provided with the same fix as the vehicles above.

All of the above vehicles are also subject to several additional recalls for issues with speedometer display and sliding doors that do not latch properly in freezing conditions.  

Risks

Rearview camera systems are designed to prevent backover crashes by displaying a 10-foot to 20-foot zone directly behind the vehicle. 

If the driver is in the habit of using the camera when the car is in reverse, the software problem creates a high risk of an accident. A driver may back over an item on the ground or hit an individual behind the car.

As of August 4, Honda notes that there have been no reports of crashes related to these actions. Passports and Pilots have an additional issue with the rearview camera. When these two vehicles are shifted into reverse, the rearview camera may not display. 

The repair

The remedy is a free software update that the vehicle owners can be installed directly by the vehicle owners or their dealers. Dealers were notified in July, while the vehicles owners will be made aware of the issue in late September. It is not clear when the update will be available. 

Is your vehicle part of this recall?

Close to half a million vehicles are included in this Honda recall. To see if your car is one of them, use MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.

Ken BoydHonda minivans and SUVs recalled for faulty rear view camera

Another Honda fuel pump recall announced for popular Honda and Acura models

Laguna Hills – June 6, 2020 – In the latest in a litany of 2020 Honda recalls, the automaker has recalled thousands of vehicles over a potentially-faulty fuel pump that could cause the cars to stall. But unlike the last recall, which only affected models with a certain V6 engine, this recall affects all the following models, regardless of engine:

  • 2018-19 Acura NSX
  • 2019 Acura RDX
  • 2019 Acura RLX
  • 2019 Acura RLX Hybrid
  • 2018-19 Honda Accord
  • 2018-19 Honda Civic
  • 2019 Honda Fit
  • 2018-19 Honda HR-V
  • 2019-20 Honda Insight

Honda says 136,057 vehicles in America are affected; worldwide, over 1.4 million vehicles are hit by this recall. Honda will notify owners of the affected cars of the recall by the end of July, but owners can find out if their car is affected right now.

Fuel pump failure

A manufacturing defect could cause the fuel pump in the affected models to suddenly stop working, depriving the engine of fuel, and causing it to stall. This stall could happen at any speed, and entirely without warning.

Stalling can cause a loss of control

Like other defects that could cause a car to stall at highway speed, a faulty fuel pump poses a grave safety risk: not only is it possible you won’t be able to accelerate, you could also lose power steering, power brakes, and other systems that make your car much easier to drive than it otherwise would be. If your fuel pump fails, you will not be able to restart the car.

The safest thing to do is turn on your flashers and try to get out of the road. If traffic conditions do not permit you to do this, stay in your lane – you don’t want to block two lanes at once. Call 911 and stay in your car until help arrives, because your car isn’t going anywhere without a tow.

While Honda and Acura recall reports show no known accidents because of this defect, the possibility of a crash remains.

Honda recall history

While this is the first 2020 Honda recalls for the affected cars, other recalls have revealed other Honda safety issues. Earlier in 2020, fuel pumps in other cars were recalled, while in 2019, over 100,000 2019 Honda CR-V’s were recalled for potentially-dangerous air bags.

Get it fixed for free

Once parts become available, Honda will repair all the affected vehicles for free at any certified Honda or Acura service center. Owners of these vehicles are encouraged to proactively look up their VIN to find out if their vehicle is part of this recall.

Joe GlaserAnother Honda fuel pump recall announced for popular Honda and Acura models

Honda Airbag Inflators May Explode Unexpectedly

re: NHTSA campaign 20V026000

Laguna Hills, Calif. – January 21, 2020 – Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling select 1996-2000 vehicles that are equipped with airbag inflators which deflate before deployment or explode without warning, sending sharp objects into the vehicle.

The estimated total of affected vehicles is 1,500,705.

Affected Vehicles Include:

  • 1997-1998 Acura 2.2CL
  • 1998-1999 Acura 2.3CL
  • 1997-1999 Acura 3.0CL
  • 2001 Acura 3.2CL and Acura MDX
  • 1998-2000 Honda Accord Coupe, Accord Sedan, Civic Sedan, Odyssey and Acura 3.5RL
  • 1999-2000 Acura 3.2TL
  • 1996-2000 Civic Coupe
  • 1997-2000 CR-V
  • 1997-1998 EV Plus 
  • 1998-1999 Isuzu Oasis vehicles.

The Defect:

Almost 2 million Honda vehicles are under recall, sighting a manufacturing issue in the airbag inflators of 1996-2000 year vehicles. Certain airbag inflators were equipped with Non-Azide driver airbag inflators (NADI) that were not installed with phase stabilized ammonium (PSAN) propellant. These affected NADI inflators can absorb excess moisture over long periods of vehicle use. This excess moisture as well as long term exposure to high temperatures can cause inflators to de-inflate or explode without warning, sending dangerous items into the vehicles interior.

Solution:

All affected vehicle owners will be notified by Honda before March 9, 2020. The repair will entail the installation of a replacement driver frontal airbag inflator that does not contain phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. Unfortunately, dealers do not have access to all parts needed for the full repair. Therefore, a second letter will be mailed to affected vehicle owners once certain replacement parts are available. Vehicle owners may contact American Honda’s Customer Support & Campaign Center  at 1-888-234-2138 or Isuzu Customer Service at 1-800-255-6727.

For more information on this and other recalls, visit www.motorsafety.org.

—————————————————————————————————————

About MotorSafety.org

MotorSafety.org is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to vehicle safety and assisting consumers with the identification and resolution of vehicle manufacturing recalls and defects. Through education, awareness, government relations, repair facility referrals and strategic partnerships, MotorSafety.org hopes to remove every unsafe vehicle from the road, facilitate its proper repair, and ensure its prompt return to the owner once the vehicle has met the required safety and performance standards. For more information about MotorSafety.org, please email support@motorsafety.org.

Marshall EarleyHonda Airbag Inflators May Explode Unexpectedly

Honda AirBag Inflators May Explode Unexpectedly or Deflate

re: NHTSA Campaign 20V027000

Laguna Hills, Calif. – January 23, 2020 – Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) has placed a recall under certain 2000-2002 Honda vehicles, sighting airbag inflator malfunction. 

The estimated total of affected vehicles is 875,966.

The Defect

Honda is recalling almost 900,000 vehicles due to airbag inflator malfunction. As part of a previous vehicle repair, affected vehicles were installed with a replacement driver frontal airbag module that, due to a manufacturing issue, caused the NADI inflator to absorb moisture. The excess moisture absorbed by the NADI inflator caused airbag cushions to de-inflate or, upon deployment, send metal fragments towards the vehicles occupants. Both could cause serious injuries to the vehicles passengers. This recall follows in a long series of passenger airbag inflator recalls.

Affected Vehicles Include:

  • 2001-2002 Acura 3.2CL
  • 2000-2003 Acura 3.5RL
  • 2000-2001 Acura 3.2TL, Honda CR-V and Honda Odyssey
  • 2001-2002 Acura MDX
  • 2000 Accord Coupe, Accord Sedan, Civic Coupe, and Civic Sedan vehicles.

Solution

All Honda vehicles suspected of recall will be notified by mail on March 9, 2020. A second letter will be mailed by Honda once new replacement parts become available for the affected vehicles. Any owner suspecting that their vehicle is under recall can bring their vehicle into any authorized Honda dealership to perform the proper repairs. However the replacement parts for the new driver frontal airbag inflator design are not yet available, but should be available after March 9, 2020. If owners have any questions concerning their repairs they may contact American Honda’s Customer Support & Campaign Center at 1-888-234-2138.

For more information on this and other recalls, visit www.motorsafety.org.

—————————————————————————————————————

About MotorSafety.org

MotorSafety.org is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to vehicle safety and assisting consumers with the identification and resolution of vehicle manufacturing recalls and defects. Through education, awareness, government relations, repair facility referrals and strategic partnerships, MotorSafety.org hopes to remove every unsafe vehicle from the road, facilitate its proper repair, and ensure its prompt return to the owner once the vehicle has met the required safety and performance standards. For more information about MotorSafety.org, please email support@motorsafety.org.

Marshall EarleyHonda AirBag Inflators May Explode Unexpectedly or Deflate

Fire Hazard Leads To Honda CR-Vs Recall

Laguna Hills, CA – Aug. 14, 2019 – The CR-V is one of Honda Motor Company’s most popular automobiles, but a select number of 2019 models are being pulled from the marketplace due to a welding issue that affects the fuel tank. Should the weld not hold up, a leak may develop that could increase the risk of a fire and accompanying accident or injury. The 2019 CR-V recall is expected to take place in mid-September and owners are urged to keep an eye out for a mailer, which will inform them if they may be affected.

The Defect

Honda seeks to recall 134 2019 Honda CR-V models, pursuant to federal law, due to a safety issue that may have originated at some point during the manufacturing process, according to documents submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It appears certain fuel tanks may be insufficiently welded onto the framing of the vehicle itself. Due to the makeup of roadway surfaces (e.g. potholes, divots, gravel, etc.), not to mention the winding nature of many of them, the fuel tank could detach over time, causing a leak. Fuel is flammable and may ultimately lead to an engine fire.

Timeline of Events

The vehicles believed to be the cause of the 2019 CR-V recall were all manufactured between Dec. 13, 2018 and June 27, 2019, according to NHTSA records. May was the first time Honda became aware of the problem after receiving its first claim on the last day of the month. The company immediately launched an investigation. Once the failed part of the original leak was sent to the supplier – Yachiyo Inc, based in Marion, Ohio – it determined the leak stemmed from faulty vapor return line joint connectors. Apparently, quality control failed to notice the flaw before the CR-Vs were shipped to dealerships.

Approximately two weeks after the supplier identified the flaw, Honda corroborated the component manufacturer’s assessment and decided to move forward with the recall. Honda said it’s not aware of any injuries or fires, as no one has reported such scenarios to the company as of July 25.

The 2019 CR-V recall is only the latest one for Honda Motor Company. In May, the company coordinated with NHTSA after determining certain models may have metal burrs lodged inside the steering column. In the event of an accident and the subsequent airbag deployment, these shards could cause injury. The recall involved 118,598 CR-Vs.

That same month, Honda issued another recall involving air bag safety, but this one was attributable to a faulty air bag inflator. Close to 19,100 models of various types were included in the recall, among them the Civic Hybrid, Accord, Fit, Insight and Pilot.

The Solution

Despite no reports of injuries or accidents, Honda says it will inform CR-V owners of this latest recall by first-class mail. Dealers have already been notified and drivers will receive word officially beginning around Sept. 16 at the earliest. Honda says that upon receipt of the potentially defective automobiles, the offending fuel tank will be replaced, at no cost to the owner. The 2019 CR-V is under warranty, but even if it was not, the fix would be free of charge.

Did you know that more than 25% of vehicles on the road today have recall order out on them that haven’t been addressed? Yours could be one of them. Find out by entering your car’s VIN at MotorSafety.org.

Sean ReyesFire Hazard Leads To Honda CR-Vs Recall

Honda Issues Recall Due To Metal Fragments Affecting Air Bags

Laguna Hills, CA – June 24, 2019 – American Honda Motor Co. is recalling certain 2019 CR-V sport utility vehicles due to the possibility that the automobile’s air bags could malfunction or deploy errantly in the event of a crash, a problem linked to metal burrs found within the steering wheel unit. The company says it will inform affected owners by July 8 so motorists can schedule an appointment with their nearest dealer to have the issue checked out. Should a repair be necessary, it will come at no expense.

The Defect

According to official paperwork filed with and by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 118,600 Honda CR-Vs – model year 2019 – are being recalled because the guts of the steering wheel may be laced with metal burrs, or fragments, which may have developed during the assembly or manufacturing process. Some of these burrs may be sharp and potentially damage or short-circuit the cable reel sub-harness. Not only could this impede the driver’s side air bag from discharging – as it’s designed to do during a high-impact collision – but it may also render other steering unit functions inoperable, such as the horn, the supplemental restraint system warning indicator lights and other control buttons found on the wheel itself. The failure of any of these features poses an operator safety risk, which prompted Honda to take the actions that it did, including the contacting of NHTSA officials.

Timeline of Events

The first indication there could be a problem occurred Jan 24, when workers at a Honda manufacturing facility, according to NHTSA documents, were alerted to a warning indicator light illuminating on one of the newly assembled CR-Vs. Further inquiry determined the notification was caused by a blown fuse on the cable reel sub-harness, the part that attaches to the air bag. Apparently, the sub-harness had been damaged by fragments piecing off from the metal core.

Out of an abundance of caution, Honda notified all of its North American manufacturing facilities that this issue may not be isolated, which prompted a joint investigation 24 hours later alongside Autoliv ASP, Honda’s steering wheel supplier. The Mexico-based component supplier came up with a solution Jan. 31. But by February, Honda received feedback from a customer, informing the automaker that an air bag had deployed in a traffic situation without notice. A similar situation was brought to Honda’s attention in March.

These two incidents – along with four more that occurred between April and early May – were enough to raise suspicion that the flaw was not isolated to CR-Vs that hadn’t yet been delivered to dealers and decided by May 14 to conduct a more broad safety recall. As of this data, the automaker was aware of 41 warranty claims tracing back to this issue, 20 field reports and three non-life threatening injuries, Honda noted in a press release obtained by NHTSA. No crashes are believed to have occurred as a result.

The Solution

If dealers haven’t already been informed of the voluntary safety recall, they soon will be, as notifications were first distributed May 22. In the meantime, Honda says it will distribute mailers to registered CR-V users no later than July 8, advising that they take their SUV to a licensed dealership so the defective parts can be swapped out for those that work, assuming it’s necessary. The repair may also involve the installation of a protective cover on the steering wheel core. As per usual, parts and labor are free of charge. The automaker maintains that the reason for not informing owners sooner is due to the limited availability of replacement parts, an issue that should be resolved by early July.

For more information on this specific recall, owners can call Honda directly at (888) 234-2138. Operators can determine if they’re SUV is affected by simply entering their VIN at MotorSafety.org.

Sean ReyesHonda Issues Recall Due To Metal Fragments Affecting Air Bags