Honda Seatbelt Recall: Defect Reported In Popular NJ Car

NEW JERSEY — A missing seatbelt belt part has prompted the recall of more than 300,000 Honda HR-V and Accord 2023-2024 models, the company and federal officials say.

A missing rivet could make the seatbelt pretensioner fail, potentially causing serious or fatal injury.

Honda is one of New Jersey's most popular car brands, with the CR-V topping the sales charts for the Garden State in 2022, according to Edmunds.

Registered owners of all affected vehicles will be contacted by mail and asked to take their vehicle to an authorized Honda dealer, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said. In New Jersey, shops were taking appointments for the middle to the end of January. Service advisors in the Garden State said the recall repair would take an entire day and that a loaner car would be recommended.

Residents can click here to enter a VIN number to see if a vehicle is under any federal recall.

Once in the shop, the dealer will inspect and, if necessary, replace the seat belt pretensioner assembly with a non-defective part. Owners who have already paid to have these repairs completed at their own expense may be eligible for reimbursement, in accord with the recall reimbursement plan on file with NHTSA.

Dealers have already been notified of the problem and owner notification is scheduled on or about Jan. 8, 2024. While 300,000-plus vehicles are included in the recall, the company estimates only 1 percent of those vehicles are affected.

There have been no reports of injuries or deaths related to the issue, according to the NHTSA, as reported by NPR.org.

You can learn more about the recall at the NHTSA website for recalls.

Earlier this month, Honda recalled nearly 250,000 vehicles due to a manufacturing defect that could cause engines to stall while driving, NPR reported.

This is also the second seat belt-related recall this year by Honda. In March, Honda identified a manufacturing issue with the front seat belts that could prevent the seat belt buckle from latching, according to New Jersey 101.5. This is the 15th recall issued by Honda in 2023, the site reported.