Honda has announced that certain 2018-2020 Honda and Acura vehicles have been found to have a seat belt safety defect. The defect relates to the seat belt buckle channel surface coating, which can degrade over time at low temperatures. This degradation can cause interference between the buckle channel and the release button, increasing friction and leading to issues with the seat belt buckle latching.
The affected vehicles include the 2019-2020 Acura RDX, 2018-2019 Honda Accord, 2018-2019 Honda Accord Hybrid, 2017-2020 Honda CR-V, 2019 Honda Insight, and 2018-2020 Honda Odyssey. If you are the registered owner of one of these vehicles, you will be contacted by the manufacturer and asked to return to your authorized Honda dealer for repairs.
The problem with the seat belt buckle latching issues was first noticed by Honda in June 2019. An investigation was opened, which included durability testing on new seat belt parts. It was during this testing that they noticed the trend of seat belt buckle latching issues in certain vehicles. The investigation ultimately found that the seat belt buckle channel for the driver and front passenger seat belts were manufactured out of specification.
As a result of this defect, Honda has received 301 warranty claims related to the issue between March 22, 2019, and January 16, 2023. Fortunately, there have been no reports of injuries or deaths related to this issue.
Honda’s recall numbers for this issue are NDA, QDB, BDC, MDD, LD9. TDF, FDG, ODH, YDI, ZDE, and the NHTSA campaign number is 23V-158. If you own one of the affected vehicles, it is important that you take action as soon as possible to have the necessary repairs completed.
It is worth noting that if you have experienced ongoing issues with your Honda or Acura vehicle and feel that it may be a lemon, you may have legal recourse under California’s lemon law. This law provides protection to consumers who have purchased or leased a defective vehicle that the manufacturer has been unable to repair after a reasonable number of attempts. The lemon law applies to new and used vehicles and can provide for a full refund or replacement of the vehicle. So, if you have experienced ongoing issues with your Honda or Acura vehicle, it may be worth consulting with a qualified lemon law attorney to explore your legal options.
