The Recall Desk
Our severity:SevereNHTSA·18V041000·Announced 2018-01-09

Honda Recalls Acura RL, Element, and Ridgeline for Air Bag Defect

Honda is recalling specific 2009-2013 Acura RL, Honda Element, and Ridgeline vehicles because the passenger air bag inflator may explode, posing a risk of 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 an inflator explosion may result in serious injury or death, which aligns with the rubric criterion for 'significant injury/property-damage reports' or structural vehicle defects involving life-safety components.

Plain-English summary

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Acura RL, 2009-2011 Honda Element, and 2009-2013 Honda Ridgeline vehicles. The recall covers vehicles equipped with certain frontal passenger air bag inflators that were used as original equipment or as replacement equipment. The affected vehicles are categorized into three geographic zones (Zone A, Zone B, and Zone C) based on their registration history in specific US states and territories.

The defect involves the passenger frontal air bag inflator module, which may explode due to propellant degradation. This degradation can occur after long-term exposure to higher absolute humidity, temperature, and temperature cycling. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, which can cause 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 February 16, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's recall numbers for this campaign are U0H and G0I. Owners may also contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or visit www.safercar.gov.

The recalled product

Product
ACURA, HONDA RL, RIDGELINE, ELEMENT
Brand
ACURA
Manufacturer
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Category
Vehicle — Air Bag
Hazard
Affected units
24,945

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 (3)

  • RL
  • RIDGELINE
  • ELEMENT

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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