Honda recalls 750,000 U.S. vehicles over air bag defect

Honda said on Tuesday it was recalling 750,000 vehicles in the United States over a defect involving air bags which could deploy unintentionally during a crash.

The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, failing to suppress the air bag as intended, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Tuesday. Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors.

The recall includes certain Honda Pilot, Accord and Civic vehicles from the 2020-2022 model years, and some Honda CR-V and Passport vehicles from the 2020 and 2021 model years.

Honda, in a statement filed with the safety regulator, said it had 3,834 warranty claims, and that there were no reports of injuries or deaths related to the recall issue since June 2020.

In a bid to explain how the defect may have originated, Honda told the NHTSA that after a natural disaster impacted the manufacturing plant of a subcontractor, a supplier temporarily changed the base material in the printed circuit board of the seat weight sensor. The alternative material used “could allow additional strain to the printed circuit board”, it said.

Toyota in December recalled 1.12 million vehicles worldwide because a short circuit in a sensor could cause air bags not to deploy as designed.

Also in December, Honda recalled 4.5 million vehicles worldwide over risks of fuel pump failure, which included 2.54 million vehicles in the United States.