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The auto giant announced that an estimated 303,770 Honda Accord and HR-V vehicles are subject to the recall for seat belts that could falter when motorists crash or jam on the brakes, increasing the risk of injury.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the recalled vehicles are limited to Honda Accord and HR-V vehicles that were produced between April 2022 and October 2023, months after the defect was discovered.
Officials say that the front seat belt pretensioners were assembled without a specific rivet that is used to secure the quick connector and wire plate, increasing the risk of a possible injury.
A pretensioner is a component that tightens it in place during an accident, preventing the seat occupant from flying forward, according to them. Defective pretensioners increase the risk of injury in the event of a collision, Honda said in the notice.
"Seat belt pretensioners missing a rivet will not properly restrain the occupant int he event of a collision, increasing the risk of injury," NHTSA officials noted. "The installation of the rivet was skipped during assembly."
Honda estimated that just 1 percent of vehicles produced during that time frame are subject to the recall.
There have been no reports of injuries or deaths related to the issue, but the company has received seven warrant claims regarding the faulty seat belts, the first of which came in May.
Owners of the impacted cars have been instructed to take their vehicles to Honda dealerships to get a free replacement of the recalled items. Anyone affected by the seat belts will be notified in early January.
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