Do you know what’s the largest Automotive recalls in history? With more vehicles, there are more possibilities for recalling vehicles. However, recalls can be a painful act for automakers and consumers too!
Look back in history and you will have plenty of events of vehicle recall! For instance, Henry Ford recalled all his first run of Model Ts. It was due to the use of Spanish Moss to pack the seats instead of cotton or other fibers.
Later, it helped the customers get rid of the bugs that live inside the moss! See, every recall comes with a solution.
This time, it’s not about automobile recalls from the past. There has been news on the board that Honda is about to recall the 2023-2024 model-year Honda Accords and HRVs. Sources claim a piece in the front seat belt pre-tensioners have been missing in about 300,000 Accord and HRVs.
This could potentially increase the risk of injury and or improve the chances of an accident. Details below,
What Is a Vehicle Recall?
Recall can be of any product, indifferent to vehicles. A vehicle recall is a call from the automobile manufacturer. It usually happens when a safety issue or defect is at the point.
For instance, Honda requested all the consumers of Honda Accord and HRV users to bring their cars to the nearest Honda service after labeling it as a safety issue. If not taken care of, users may be put at risk.
A common theory has developed regarding vehicle recalls that follow a similar thread. It’s been said that automakers install cheap parts in order to save money.
However, history knows it well! That really never ends well. Ultimately, the company ends up with millions of recalls, lawsuits, or in the worst-case scenario, illegal death suits. More to this, some automakers completely deny the fault and even after knowing about the flaws, do nothing!
Recalling vehicles is usually a sensitive move. It’s a desperate attempt to uphold corporate image and reduce (as total negligence is not possible) liability for company negligence. It also comes with significant legal costs.
As the company already went through some unwanted publicity that could put someone’s life in danger without fully knowing, it results in costly draft copies. Additionally, a recall campaign also holds some high budgets to fix what had gone wrong.
In short, recalls are indeed expensive. Imagine, it’s an entirely new section to call, handle the recalled vehicles, and replace the faulty parts without charging a fee. At this point, the company is financially responsible for the overall management and fixing of the recalled products.
Honda Recalls More Than 300,000 Vehicles: Over Seat Belt Safety Issue
A few days ago on November 21, 2023, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a document. It pointed out that all the 2023 – 2024 models of the Honda Accord and HRVs are missing a rivet.
Without a rivet, the seats won’t properly hold the passengers and with increased chances of risk! It may injure occupants seriously during an accident.
What are Pretentioners?
The pretensioners hold the seat belts tight and keep them intact in place at the moment of an impact. It is designed to retract the webbing seat belts and have the occupants in place. So, imagine if they are thrown forward in a moderate or multiple frontal crash, this feature minimizes the risk of bloodshed and can keep the passengers safe.
A rivet in the pretensioners locks the quick connector and the wire plate together. Without this, passengers won’t be restrained safely in a crash, as confirmed by regulators of the NHTSA.
This led Honda to recall more than 300,000 Honda Accords and HRVs to fix the safety issue, as indicated in the document. The primary concern involves the missing belt part.
Did NHTSA and Honda Have A Say On This?
The NHTSA simply pointed out it as an assembly error during the development stage. Honda made an estimation, and that about 303,770 units in total Honda Accords and HRVs. The company advised any Accord or HRV users who have purchased the car only a few times ago to get their vehicles checked.
Learn more about Honda HRVs here.
It’s a huge task for Honda and it’s a reminder that every recall is one of a nightmare for the manufacturers.
FYI, the faulty components were indifferently manufactured by Joyson Safety Systems. Initially, it was left unnoticed until May 2023.
It took almost 5 months to start the investigation. In September 2023, Honda received the faulty parts. Soon after detection, Honda issued the recall. It became really frustrating and seven people filed warranty claims, keeping Honda in point.
However, it’s a relief that no fatal injuries or deaths were reported, as reported by the documents released by the NHTSA. There was a bold response from Honda and they asked all owners who received the faulty cars to bring their cars to their nearest local Honda dealership.
Officials are set to examine the seatbelt and recover pretensioner assemblies. If needed they were also instructed to replace the faulty pretensioners without any charge.
Registered Users Will Receive an Email
If you have already bought the affected Honda Accord or an HRV, you are requested to get your car checked to the nearest Honda dealership. You would receive a repair without any cost.
Some users might have taken things into their hands and paid for the repairs all by themselves. Well, they would also get the benefits of this reimbursement. Although the number 303,000 seems big to us, Honda assumes that less than 1% of faulty vehicles would need a replacement.
A scheduled checkup or thorough inspection of the faulty parts would do just fine for the rest of the vehicle. Because, along with Honda we also believe that, not all 2023 – 2024 Accords or HRVs don’t have a pretensioner without a rivet.
An official Honda spokesperson also clarified this to the Associated Press on Saturday saying, “The vast majority are expected to be satisfied by an inspection alone.”
Registered users of Honda Accord and HRVs will receive a notification mail, starting from January 8, 2024. All the local Honda dealerships will start to receive renewal parts by the end of December, clarified by the Honda Spokesperson. There’s a lot to do!
However, after hearing this news, if you want your Honda quickly inspected, go to your nearest authorized Honda dealership.
Largest Recalls in Automobile History
A company simply can’t deny the liabilities and sit silently. Every country has some recall policy, and laws set in regards to consumer protection with specific terms. The terms will decide how much of the expense the manufacturer company has to bear.
Or, if a recall is mandatory or the ultimate results would lead to penalties for the automaker. However, we must mention, that if the company fails to recall, they will be subjected to penalties in legal terms.
Most of the time, companies voluntarily respond to the recalls. Yes, most companies meet the regulations all by themselves without poking things around. Honda is one of them! Here are some other largest and heaviest recalls, the world has ever seen.
1) Takata Airbags
Year: 2013
Issue: Faulty airbags.
Recall: About 42 million recalls worldwide.
2) Ford
Year: 1980
Issue: Faulty park mode
Recall: 21 million Ford cars were recalled
3) Ford
Year: 1999
Issue: Cruise control fault
Recall: 14.9 million Ford cars were recalled
4) Toyota
Year: 2000
Issue: Pedal error led to rapid acceleration
Recall: 9 million Toyota cars were recalled
5) Volkswagen
Year: 2015
Issue: Emissions tests were cheat
Recall: 8.5 million Volkswagen cars were recalled
6) Ford
Year: 1996
Issue: Faulty ignition switch
Recall: 7.5 million Ford vehicles were recalled
7) Toyota
Year: 2012
Issue: Electric window failure
Recall: 7.4 million Toyota cars were recalled
8) General Motors
Year: 1971
Issue: Sudden acceleration
Recall: 6.7 million GMs were recalled
9) General Motors
Year: 1981
Issue: Fault in rear suspension
Recall: 5.8 million GMs were recalled
10) Honda
Year: 2014
Issue: Airbag inflation fault
Recall: 5.4 million Honda cars were recalled
As you see, it is Ford that repeated the most, followed by Toyota and General Motors, and then Honda. Brands like Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen, and GM have a reputation and recalls are not very common with Honda.
We believe, this time the company would handle the recalls carefully and responsibly too.
Overview
We believe you are here and now you fully know about the faulty 2023-24 Accord or HRV. If you suspect your one is faulty, even if not, it is wise to have your vehicle inspected at any nearby Honda dealership.
Let us know your experience with your latest Accord / HRV. Do not put any risk, rather have your cars checked. Also, share this news with others and tell them about this recall!
We will soon be back with another article/ news article on Honda’s latest trends. Stay tuned with us.
