Honda has issued a major recall spanning virtually its entire model lineup as well as several Acura models, in response to an issue with a seat sensor that could malfunction and cause improper deployment of airbags.
This is actually an expansion of a previous safety campaign across North America; That was issued originally in February 2024 and targeted in over 815,000 vehicles across North America, including some 66,800 units in Canada. This time, 12,371 vehicles in Canada and 98,892 units in the U.S. are affected.
Which models are affected?
The expanding list of affected models covers 17 different nameplates from both the Honda and Acura brands, stretching across various model-years from 2016 to 2026:
- 2017-2020, 2022-2026 Acura MDX
- 2019-2024 Acura RDX
- 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX
- 2016-2022 Honda Accord
- 2017-2022 Honda Accord Hybrid
- 2016-2022 Honda Civic
- 2017-2021 Honda Civic Hatchback
- 2017-2018, 2021 Honda Civic Type R
- 2017-2022 Honda CR-V
- 2020-2022 Honda CR-V Hybrid
- 2018-2020 Honda Fit
- 2019-2021 Honda HR-V
- 2019-2022 Honda Insight
- 2018-2026 Honda Odyssey
- 2019-2021 Honda Passport
- 2017-2022 Honda Pilot
- 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline
The problem
Honda explains that the recall stems from a defect in the front passenger seat weight sensor, which can crack and short-circuit when exposed to environmental humidity.
The weight sensor's primary function is to detect the occupant of the seat and automatically disable the frontal and knee airbags if a child or small adult is present. If the circuit board inside the sensor cracks, the airbag system may fail to deactivate, meaning the airbags could deploy wrongfully in a crash and cause severe injuries. Owners may identify the problem if the SRS warning light illuminates on the dashboard or if the passenger airbag indicator light remains off when it should be on.
According to documents submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Honda traced the root cause back to a natural disaster at a supplier’s manufacturing facility. This event forced the supplier to temporarily substitute an alternative material that had not been sufficiently validated for this specific long-term automotive use.
Despite the wide scope of the campaign, Honda estimates that only 1 percent of the recalled vehicles will actually exhibit the defect.
The solution
To resolve the issue, Honda and Acura dealerships will replace the front passenger seat weight sensors completely free of charge.
The automaker will directly notify affected vehicle owners, advising them to schedule an appointment with their local dealer to perform the repair and restore system integrity.
