Honda issues recall potentially affecting more than 300,000 SUVs over seat belt issue

Honda issued a recall potentially affecting more than 300,000 2023 and 2024 HR-V’s and Accords, because the vehicles may be missing a seat belt connector that could increase the likelihood of an injury during a crash. The seat belt pretensioner is missing a rivet that is supposed to properly restrain passengers in the event of a crash, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The installation of the rivet was skipped during assembly, according to a Nov. 21 recall report from the NHTSA. Beginning Jan. 8, recall letters will be sent to Honda owners, and dealers will inspect and fix the issue free of charge. The NHTSA said the seat belts don’t comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards “Occupant Crash Protection,” “Seat Belt Assembles,” and “Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages.” Vehicle owners can call Honda at 1-888-234-2138 or the NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to nhtsa.gov. No injuries have been reported. Honda recalled nearly 250,000 Odysseys, Pilots, Acuras and Ridgelines earlier this month over a potential bearing failing that could cause the engine to stall and the vehicle to crash. Over the summer, the company recalled more than a million vehicles due to a rearview camera issue.