Honda recalls 99,000 US vehicles over airbag sensor flaw

Honda has recalled nearly 99,000 vehicles in the United States due to a defect that could cause front passenger airbags to deploy when they should not. The recall, which covers a wide range of models and years across both the Honda and Acura brands, involves a faulty front passenger seat weight sensor.

According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a capacitor in the sensor's printed circuit board may crack when exposed to humidity, potentially causing an internal short circuit. If this occurs, the sensor may fail to properly suppress airbag deployment during a crash when a child seat, a child, or a small adult is in the front passenger seat, increasing the risk of injury from the airbag's force.

The recall is an expansion of a previous action from early 2024. Officials said the expansion was prompted by an error from a supplier in calculating the production end date for the defective part, the use of inaccurate data in correlating defective parts to affected vehicles, and inadequate verification processes. The company has noted 228 warranty claims related to the issue but has received no reports of injuries or deaths connected to it.