Honda Recalls 650K Minivans Over Concerns About Second-Row Seats

Image courtesy of (frankieleon)

If you’re ever in a car crash, you don’t want your seat sliding around in its tracks. Which is why Honda is recalling nearly 650,000 minivans with second-row seats that can come unlocked and move around after a collision.

Honda announced Thursday two recalls of 641,302 model year 2011 to 2016 Odyssey minivans because the second row seats may not stay in place in the event of a crash.

The first recall covers 633,753 model year 2011 to 2016 Odyssey vehicles. According to a notice [PDF] filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the second row seat release lever, which allows the seats to move for easier access to the third row of seats, may contain a manufacturing issue.

In some instances, a manufacturing variability may have caused the spring in the lever to deteriorate. If this occurs, the lever can remain unlocked and the second row seats will move in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury to passengers.

Honda says it will notify affected owners in January and dealers will install an additional bracket and spring to both second row outbound seats.

The second, smaller recall, covers 7,549 model year 2016 Odyssey vehicles that do not meet the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 207, “Seat Systems.”

According to a NHTSA notice [PDF] , the second row center seat’s horizontal adjuster bar may stick in the unlocked position, allowing the seat to unexpectedly slide.

As with the first recall, an unlocked second row center eat may increase the risk of injury to the seat occupant if a cross occurs.

The carmakers says that owners of affected vehicles will be noticed in January and eager will replace the horizontal position adjustment bar.

Although Honda notes that it is unaware of any crashes stemming from the two recalls, an owner complaint filed with NHTSA’s SaferCar.gov database claims they discovered the issue because of a crash.

In the complaint, filed Sept. 2013, the owner of a 2011 Odyssey says that during a collision the seat that held their children came detached.

“Our son was thrown into the back of the driver’s seat and suffered injuries to his face and body,” the owner states.

The owner of another 2011 Odyssey tells SaferCar.gov that while pressing the brakes traveling at 35 miles per hour resulted in the rear passenger seat flipping forward while it was occupied by a child.

In another complaint, filed in Sept. 2016, the owner of a 2014 Odyssey reports that the second row seats do not lock into place when you move the seat.

“My children several times have had the seat move and almost choke them when we came to a complete stop,” the owner says. “I have complained several times to my dealership and they have told me that it was a defective spring.”

The owner of a 2013 Odyssey tells NHTSA in a June 2014 complaint that because the seats are not locking, passengers have hit their legs on the seat in front of them.

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