450,000 Hondas’ Front Seatbelts May Not Latch, Triggering Recall

• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has posted notice that 448,613 Honda and Acura vehicles are under recall for front seatbelts that may fail to latch properly.
• The problem affects the Acura RDX, Honda Accord and Accord Hybrid, CR-V, Insight, and Odyssey, with all recalled vehicles in model years from 2018 through 2020.
• Because of a manufacturing defect, the front seatbelt buckle channel can “interfere with the release button,” which will mean the seatbelt won’t latch properly. No accidents or injuries have been reported as a result.

Honda will recall nearly 450,000 vehicles from 2018 through 2020 model years because the front seatbelt may not latch properly, increasing the risk of injury in a crash. The recall notice, filed via NHTSA, says there have been 301 warranty claims for the problem dating back to early 2019, but no reports of injuries or deaths related to it.

Included vehicles are the 2019 and 2020 Acura RDX, plus the 2018–2019 Honda Accord and Accord Hybrid, the 2017–2020 CR-V, the 2019 Insight, and the 2018–2020 Odyssey.

Exact numbers of affected vehicles were not given for each model, although the total number being recalled is 448,613. According to the recall report, Honda began investigating the issue in 2019 and initially believed it could be caused by contraction in the seatbelt buckle channel because of low temperatures. Later, Honda decided the issue was likely of “larger scope” and related to the seatbelt buckle button. The fix will be to install a wider buckle release button, the NHTSA documents say. Owners who may have had the seatbelt fix done already at their own expense will be eligible to be reimbursed.

Dealers have already started to be notified, and Honda will begin notifying vehicle owners on April 17. In the meantime, Acura and Honda owners can check the NHTSA recalls website to see if their vehicle is included in the recall.