Topline
Honda, had to recall 448,613 cars—its third recall this year—due to a manufacturing issue preventing the front seat belt buckle from latching, though it has yet to make it to the most recalls for car manufacturers this year.
The Honda logo is seen at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Key Facts
The latest recall is because the front seat belt does not secure the vehicle occupant during a crash and increases the risk of injury.
Affected models include the 2017-2020 Honda CR-V, 2018-2019 Accord and Accord Hybrid, 2018-2020 Odyssey, 2019 Insight and 2019-2020 Acura RDX vehicles.
As of March 2023, Honda has received 301 warranty claims between March 2019 and January 2023 and will begin to notify owners affected by the seat belt issue on April 17.
The recall comes a month after the Japanese manufacturer recalled 114,686 Fit and HR-V models, some of its more popular models, due to issues with the rear camera.
All automakers must report recalls with the U.S National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which keeps a database of all recalls reported.
Top Recall Issues Among Manufacturers So Far In 2023
- Ford: Service brake/Hydraulics, power train, visibility, air bag, steering, fuel system/gasoline and back over prevention issues – 2,001980 vehicles recalled
- Nissan: Air bag, electrical, steering, seat and equipment issues – 1,983,806 vehicles recalled
- Chrysler: Electrical, back over prevention, structure and powertrain issues – 647,489 vehicles recalled
- Honda: Seat, seat belts and back over prevention issues – 563,397 vehicles recalled
- Tesla: Seat belt and electrical system issues – 336,228 vehicles recalled
- Kia: Air bag and fuel system/gasoline issues – 220,889 vehicles recalled
- Toyota: Structure and electrical system issues – 155,934 vehicles recalled
- Hyundai: Seat belt, structure, electrical and fuel system/gasoline issues – 108,116 vehicles recalled
- Navistar: Engine/engine cooling, structure engine/engine cooling and powertrain issues – 46,244 vehicles recalled
- General Motors: Powertrain, fuel system/gasoline and fuel system/diesel issues – 45,475 vehicles recalled
Tangent
If a recall is issued, manufacturers are required by law to provide consumers with the remedy free of charge, though there are limitations. In order for a consumer to have their car serviced free of charge after a recall is issued, the vehicle must be no more than 15 years old from the date of the recall, according to the NHTSA. If a dealer refuses to provide the repair service for free, consumers should contact the car manufacturer as, in most cases, automakers have contractual agreements with dealerships to honor recall remedy defects.
Surprising Fact
Last year, the automaker with the most recalled vehicles was Ford with 8,758,117 vehicles recalled and a total of 68 recalls.
Further Reading
Tesla Recalls Over 360,000 Cars Due To Self-Driving Crash Risk (Forbes)
Tesla Recalls 4 Million Since January 2022–Here’s How That Compares To Other Automakers (Forbes)
Automakers With The Most And Fewest Recalls In 2022 (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonytellez/2023/03/17/honda-recalls-nearly-half-a-million-cars-here-are-the-top-issues-automakers-have-recalled-vehicles-over-in-2023-so-far/