Photo: Honda / edited
Supplied by Auburn Hills-based Autoliv Safety Technology, the seatbelt buckles of nearly 450k cars and utility vehicles may not latch due to a manufacturing issue. Vehicles equipped with said buckles include the 2017 to 2020 model year Honda CR-V, 2018 to 2019 Accord and Accord Hybrid, 2018 to 2020 Odyssey, 2019 Insight, and the 2019 to 2020 model year Acura RDX.
American Honda Motor Co. identified a potential trend in seatbelt buckle latching issues back in June 2019, as per the chronology included in the report attached below. The automaker further observed that low temperatures caused a contraction in the seatbelt buckle channel. Over time, the channel surface coating is prone to degrade.
Additional testing revealed that durability concerns may have a larger scope than originally believed. Honda couldn’t rule out safety-related concerns, which is why a recall was issued for the aforementioned nameplates.
Honda is aware of 301 warranty claims at the very least, submitted with the automaker between March 2019 and January 2023. Thankfully for all parties involved, there are no reports of injury or death related to this issue.
Only the front buckles are called back due to interference between the buckle channel and release button. The button may shrink against the channel at low temperatures, increasing friction, which could prevent the seatbelt buckle from latching. If the driver and/or front passenger aren’t properly restrained, the risk of injury and/or death is – unsurprisingly – much higher.
Honda claims that the seatbelt buckle channel was manufactured out of specification. A whopping 36 part numbers are listed in the attached report, which also mentions that the buckle channel width was manufactured back to specification on June 2018. Rather than tier-1 supplier Autoliv, a tier-2 supplier whose name hasn’t been made public took the blame for this issue.
Depending on the make and model, affected vehicles were produced in the period between November 2016 and December 2019. Dealers have already been instructed to replace the seatbelt buckle release buttons. If necessary, the whole assembly will be replaced. Owners who paid to have these repairs completed at their own expense are eligible for reimbursement. Owners will be notified about the recall no later than April 17th.
The Civic-based Insight is the only vehicle on the list no longer in production. Honda stopped making it last year due to poor sales both at home in Japan and in North America. The Accord was redesigned for the 2023 model year, with the combustion-only version retailing at $27,295 and the hybrid at $31,895 sans freight charge.
The CR-V also received a ground-up redesign for 2023, with prospective customers having a choice between 1.5-liter turbo and CVT or 2.0-liter hybrid and e-CVT. The slow-selling Odyssey soldiers on in the contracting minivan segment, priced from $37,490 at press time.
Last but not least, the only Acura on this list is a luxury-oriented crossover slotted just above the CR-V. An idea larger in every respect, the RDX comes exclusively with a 2.0-liter turbo paired with a 10-speed automatic tranny.
Additional testing revealed that durability concerns may have a larger scope than originally believed. Honda couldn’t rule out safety-related concerns, which is why a recall was issued for the aforementioned nameplates.
Honda is aware of 301 warranty claims at the very least, submitted with the automaker between March 2019 and January 2023. Thankfully for all parties involved, there are no reports of injury or death related to this issue.
Only the front buckles are called back due to interference between the buckle channel and release button. The button may shrink against the channel at low temperatures, increasing friction, which could prevent the seatbelt buckle from latching. If the driver and/or front passenger aren’t properly restrained, the risk of injury and/or death is – unsurprisingly – much higher.
Honda claims that the seatbelt buckle channel was manufactured out of specification. A whopping 36 part numbers are listed in the attached report, which also mentions that the buckle channel width was manufactured back to specification on June 2018. Rather than tier-1 supplier Autoliv, a tier-2 supplier whose name hasn’t been made public took the blame for this issue.
Depending on the make and model, affected vehicles were produced in the period between November 2016 and December 2019. Dealers have already been instructed to replace the seatbelt buckle release buttons. If necessary, the whole assembly will be replaced. Owners who paid to have these repairs completed at their own expense are eligible for reimbursement. Owners will be notified about the recall no later than April 17th.
The Civic-based Insight is the only vehicle on the list no longer in production. Honda stopped making it last year due to poor sales both at home in Japan and in North America. The Accord was redesigned for the 2023 model year, with the combustion-only version retailing at $27,295 and the hybrid at $31,895 sans freight charge.
The CR-V also received a ground-up redesign for 2023, with prospective customers having a choice between 1.5-liter turbo and CVT or 2.0-liter hybrid and e-CVT. The slow-selling Odyssey soldiers on in the contracting minivan segment, priced from $37,490 at press time.
Last but not least, the only Acura on this list is a luxury-oriented crossover slotted just above the CR-V. An idea larger in every respect, the RDX comes exclusively with a 2.0-liter turbo paired with a 10-speed automatic tranny.
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