The Recall Desk
Our severity:SevereNHTSA·16V344000·Announced 2016-05-23

Honda Recalls Vehicles for Frontal Air Bag Inflator Rupture Risk

Honda is recalling specific Acura and Honda models from 2002-2011 because the passenger frontal air bag inflators may rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious injury or death.

What this means for you

Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 4/5 (Severe).

The hazard poses a serious risk of illness, injury, or structural failure. Stop using the product immediately and contact the manufacturer for a refund or repair.

Our severity reasoning: The source text explicitly states that the defect may result in 'serious injury or death' due to metal fragments striking occupants, which aligns with the rubric criteria for a Severe (4) rating involving significant injury reports or structural safety defects.

Plain-English summary

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling approximately 1.79 million model year 2002-2011 Acura MDX, Acura RL, Honda CR-V, Honda Element, Honda Fit, Honda Pilot, Honda Odyssey, and Honda Ridgeline vehicles. The recall applies to vehicles originally sold or registered in specific U.S. states and territories, categorized into three geographic zones based on humidity and temperature exposure.

The defect involves certain air bag inflators used in the passenger frontal air bag modules. Due to propellant degradation caused by long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling, these inflators may rupture in the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking vehicle occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator free of charge. The recall began on June 27, 2016. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

The recalled product

Product
HONDA, ACURA RIDGELINE, ELEMENT, PILOT, FIT
Brand
HONDA
Manufacturer
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Category
Vehicle — Air Bag Inflator
Hazard
Affected units
1,790,894

Is your product affected?

Check your packaging against the codes below. If any of them match, the product is part of this recall.

Model numbers (8)

  • RIDGELINE
  • ELEMENT
  • PILOT
  • FIT
  • RL
  • CR-V
  • MDX
  • ODYSSEY

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

Related recalls

Same brand · HONDA

Same manufacturer · Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)

See all →

Same hazard · air bag rupture

See all →

Similar recalls