- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has posted a notice that 448,613 Honda and Acura vehicles are being recalled for front seat belts that may fail to fasten properly.
- The problem affects the Acura RDX, Honda Accord and Accord Hybrid, CR-V, Insight and Odyssey, with all recalled vehicles in model years from 2018 to 2020.
- Due to a manufacturing defect, the front seat belt buckle channel can “interfere with the release button”, which means the seat belt will not buckle properly. No accidents or injuries were reported as a result.
Honda is recalling nearly 450,000 vehicles from the 2018 to 2020 model years because the front seat belts may not buckle properly, increasing the risk of injury in a crash. The recall notice, filed through NHTSA, says there have been 301 warranty claims for the problem since early 2019, but no reports of injuries or deaths related to it.
Vehicles included are the 2019 and 2020 Acura RDX, as well as the 2018–2019 Honda Accord and Accord Hybrid, 2017–2020 CR-V, 2019 Insight and 2018–2020 Odyssey.
The exact number of affected vehicles was not given for each model, although the total number of recalls is 448,613. According to the recall report, Honda began investigating the issue in 2019 and initially believed it could be caused by shrinkage in the seat belt buckle ducts due to low temperatures. Later, Honda decided that the issue might be “larger in scope” and related to the seat belt buckle button. The solution is to install a wider buckle release button, the NHTSA document says. Owners who may have performed seat belt repairs at their own expense will be eligible for reimbursement.
Dealers have already been notified, and Honda will begin notifying vehicle owners on April 17. In the meantime, Acura and Honda owners can check NHTSA’s recall website to see if their vehicles are included in the recall.
Digital Director
Laura Sky Brown has been involved in automotive media for a very long time, and she sees it as her calling to preserve the legacy and help ensure continued high quality. Car and Driver. He was one of the first staff members at Automobile Magazine in the 80s and has worked for many other car magazines and websites as a writer, editor and copy editor since then. It’s been his privilege to edit a lot of great automotive journalism over the years, including those he currently writes for C/D.