Honda announced Tuesday that it’s recalling 750,000 vehicles in the U.S. over a defect that could cause air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said that the front passenger seat’s weight sensor could crack and short circuit, failing to suppress the air bag as intended. Honda dealers will replace the seat weight sensors.
Vehicles covered by the recall include certain Honda Pilot, Accord and Civic vehicles from the 2020-2022 model years, as well as some Honda HR-V, CR-V and Passport vehicles from those model years.
Honda said in a statement filed with the regulator that it had 3,834 warranty claims and that there were no reports of injuries or deaths related to the issue that prompted the recall since June 2020.
Honda told NHTSA that the defect may have originated after a natural disaster impacted the manufacturing plant of one of the company’s subcontractors, a supplier temporarily changed the base material in the printed circuit board of the seat weight senator. The alternative material used "could allow additional strain to the printed circuit board," the automaker said.
Toyota recalled about 1 million vehicles from model years 2020 to 2022 in December due to malfunctioning Occupant Classification System sensors that ensure air bags don't deploy if a small adult or child is sitting in the front seat. Dealers will inspect and replace the sensors at no cost to owners, and the company plans to notify customers by mid-February.
Last month, Honda said that it’s planning to do a voluntary product update campaign to address issues with the 2023 Honda HR-V’s rear windows, which have unexpectedly shattered due to the defroster weakening the glass.
The company also recalled 2.5 million vehicles in December due to a fuel pump issue in several Honda and Acura models.
Source: CNBC
