Honda is recalling over 300,000 2023–2024 Accord and HR-V vehicles due to a missing piece in the front seat belt pretensioners. This could increase the risk of injury in a crash.
The pretensioners tighten seat belts in place upon impact. The missing piece is a rivet that secures the quick connector and wire plate. This means that passengers may not be properly restrained in a crash.
Honda estimates that less than 1% of the potentially affected vehicles will require a replacement. The majority are expected to be satisfied by an inspection alone. Notification letters will be sent to registered owners of the affected vehicles starting January 8, 2024.
Replacement parts should be available to dealers by the end of the month. Consumers can go to an authorized Honda dealer for the inspection now. To determine whether your vehicle is subject to a safety recall, you can enter your 17 character VIN.
Without the rivet, regulators said pretensioners, which tighten seat belts in place upon impact, may not be properly restrained in a crash, which could increase injury risk.
More than 300,000 Accords and HR-Vs are potentially affected by the issue, which the NHTSA said is due to an error made during assembly.
Documents published by the NHTSA say that no injuries or deaths have been reported due to the issue, but Honda has received seven warranty claims as of Nov. 16.
Honda will begin notifying owners of the possibly affected vehicles around early January. Those who have already paid to repair their vehicles may be eligible for reimbursement.
