• Honda is recalling some 750,000 Honda and Acura vehicles to fix an airbag issue.
When it comes to Honda and airbags, it's hard not to think the saga of the infamous Takata components that led to the biggest series of recalls in automotive history. The Japanese automaker was the manufacturer most affected by the now-defunct company's faulty – even deadly - airbags.
Fortunately, those are not the subject of a new recall by Honda. However, the recall is massive and it does also concern safety.
In all, Honda is recalling some 750,000 vehicles. In several of its models, the passenger-side airbag could deploy unintentionally. Both Honda and Acura models are affected, and the campaign targets models from the 2020 to 2022 model-years.
In Canada, 66,846 vehicles are being recalled to fix the problem.
What’s the problem?
The fault, it has been determined, lies with the front passenger seat weight sensor. A capacitor on the sensor's printed circuit board can crack, causing an internal short-circuit. If this happens, the front passenger's front and knee airbags could deploy even in the presence of an occupant whose weight is too low for the safety device, in a collision where their deployment is not required.
Needless to say, this increases the risk of injury.
According to Honda, the problem is attributable to a supplier who changed the base material of the circuit board during the manufacturing process, due to a natural disaster at another supplier. The new material has not undergone the necessary checks for this use. This could result in additional stress on the board, which in turn could crack the capacitor.
Note that if the weight sensor fails, the airbag warning light (SRS) will illuminate on the dashboard.
The first report of this problem came in 2020, with a warranty claim filed by a customer. Honda investigated, but found no faults at the time.
By October 2021, more cases were reported and the investigation process continued. The problematic trend continued to grow until November 2023. The defect was discovered last month.
Honda says it has no knowledge of any injuries or fatalities related to the problem.
However, warranty claims have reached 3,800.
As for the procedure to be followed by owners of affected models, here's how Transport Canada describes what to do next:
“Honda will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership for an inspection if the SRS warning light is on. If the SRS warning light is on due to a faulty weight sensor, the weight sensor will be replaced. When repair parts are available, Honda will send you a second letter. They will advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to replace the passenger-front seat weight sensor.”
Here's the list of recalled models:
- - Acura MDX - 2020 to 2022
- - Acura RDX - 2020 and 2021
- - Acura TLX - 2020 and 2021
- - Honda Accord - 2020 and 2021
- - Honda Civic - 2020 to 2022
- - Honda CR-V - 2020 and 2021
- - Honda Fit - 2020
- - Honda HR-V - 2020 and 2021
- - Honda Insight - 2021
- - Honda Odyssey - 2020 to 2022
- - Honda Passport - 2020 and 2021
- - Honda Pilot - 2020 and 2021
- - Honda Ridgeline - 2020 and 2021
