The Recall Desk
CriticalNHTSA·18V662000·Announced 2018-09-27

Honda Recalls 2010-2014 Vehicles for Air Bag Inflator Explosion Risk

Honda is recalling 2010-2014 Ridgeline, Element, and Acura RL vehicles because the passenger air bag inflator may explode, posing a risk of serious injury or death.

What this means for you

Highest-severity recall. Risk of serious injury or death is documented or strongly suspected. Stop using the product now and follow the agency's instructions.

Our severity reasoning: The source text explicitly states that an inflator explosion may result in serious injury or death, which meets the rubric criteria for a Critical severity score.

Plain-English summary

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Honda Ridgeline, 2010-2011 Honda Element, and 2010-2012 Acura RL vehicles. The recall is distributed across the United States, with specific model years and vehicle types assigned to different geographic regions, including nationwide coverage for 2014 Ridgelines and state-specific lists for other models.

The defect involves the passenger frontal air bag inflator module. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation caused by 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 result 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 November 6, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236. Honda's recall numbers for this action are H2H and S2I.

The recalled product

Product
ACURA, HONDA RL, RIDGELINE, ELEMENT
Brand
ACURA
Manufacturer
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Category
Vehicle — Air Bag
Hazard
Affected units
57,095

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.

Related recalls

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Same hazard · air bag explosion

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