448,000 Acuras, Hondas Recalled for Seat Belt Buckles
By Patrick Masterson
March 15, 2023
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2020 Honda Odyssey | Manufacturer image
Seat belts are a basic but critical part of driving safety, so when they don’t work, it’s a rightfully big deal. Such is the case for Honda in a new recall that aims to fix a manufacturing issue with the front seat belts in more than 448,000 vehicles.
Affected in the population are model-year 2018-19 Accord and Accord Hybrid sedans; model-year 2017-20 CR-V SUVs; model-year 2019 Insight sedans; model-year 2018-20 Odyssey minivans; and model-year 2019-20 RDX SUVs from Honda’s luxury brand Acura. A manufacturing issue with the front seat belts may cause the seat belt buckle channel to interfere with the release button, preventing the buckle from latching. An unlatched seat belt that can’t properly restrain an occupant during a crash increases the risk of injury, though Honda did say it was not aware of reports of injuries or deaths related to the issue.
As a fix, dealers will replace both front belt buckle release buttons, or the buckle assemblies as necessary, for free. Honda will begin notifying owners April 17, but those with further questions can call the automaker at 888-234-2138, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s vehicle-safety hotline at 888-327-4236, or visit its website to check their vehicle identification number and learn more.
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Chief Copy Editor
Patrick Masterson
Patrick Masterson is Chief Copy Editor at Cars.com. He joined the automotive industry in 2016 as a lifelong car enthusiast and has achieved the rare feat of applying his journalism and media arts degrees as a writer, fact-checker, proofreader and editor his entire professional career. He lives by an in-house version of the AP stylebook and knows where semicolons can go.