Half a Million Honda Vehicles Recalled Over Seat Belt Failures

A surface coating problem could lead to seat belt latching failures, according to the Honda recall.

Federal highway safety officials have announced a recall of nearly 500,000 Honda and Acura vehicles, which contain defective seat belts that may not properly latch, posing an increased risk of injury to occupants in the event of an auto accident.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced the Honda seat belt recall on March 9, due to a manufacturing issue with the front seat belts that may cause the seat belt buckle channel to interfere with the release button, preventing the seat belt buckle from latching.

While no injuries have been reported in relation to the recall, officials warn that if the seat belt is not fully latched, the seat occupant will not be properly restrained, which could result in severe injuries or even ejection from the vehicle in the event of a car accident.

Reports have indicated the Honda seat belt problems are due to a surface coating deterioration problem, which can of cause the release button to shrink against the buckle channel of the seat belt, preventing it from fully latching.

The recall includes approximately 448,613 vehicles manufactured by American Honda Motor Co, and distributed for sale to licensed dealers throughout the U.S. The recalled model years include;

• 2019 – 2020 Acura RDX
• 20108 – 2019 Honda Accord
• 2018 2019 Honda Accord Hybrid
• 2017 – 2020 Honda CR-V
• 2019 Honda Insight
• 20108 – 2020 Honda Odyssey

Honda anticipates notification letters will be mailed to owners of the affected vehicles on April 17, 2023. Owners will receive free replacement of the driver and front passenger seat belt buckle release buttons or buckle assemblies, if necessary.

For more information, owners can contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or visit www.nhtsa.gov.