On Wednesday, Honda announced a recall of almost 450,000 Honda and Acura models produced between 2017 and 2020 due to a faulty seat belt latching issue. The company stated that it has received 301 warranty claims associated with the problem between March 22, 2019, and January 16, 2023. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported so far as a result of the faulty seat belts.
The models that are being recalled include the Honda CR-V (2017-20), Honda Accord (2018-19), Honda Accord Hybrid (2018-19), Honda Odyssey (2018-20), Acura RDX (2019-20), and Honda Insight (2019).
According to a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Honda discovered a potential trend in seat belt latching in June 2019. By November 2019, the automaker noticed that low temperatures could cause contraction in the seat belt buckle channel, leading to surface coating degradation.
Honda has advised registered owners to contact their nearest Honda dealer as soon as possible. The dealers will replace the driver and passenger front seat belt buckle release buttons.
It is worth noting that this recall is not the first for Honda. The automaker previously recalled approximately 2.7 million U.S. vehicles due to a faulty airbag inflator issue that caused at least 17 deaths and hundreds of injuries.
In conclusion, Honda’s latest recall of almost 450,000 U.S. vehicles due to a seat belt latching issue is a significant move to ensure customer safety. Owners of the affected models are urged to get in touch with their nearest Honda dealer as soon as possible for replacement of the front seat belt buckle release buttons.
