Seat Latches Prone to Fail, Honda Recalling Nearly 650,000 Minivans

Honda seems well positioned to end the year, yet again, as the leader in the U.S. minivan market. But the Japanese maker is facing big recalls. All told, nearly 650,000 of the outgoing model-year Odyssey are being targeted for safety-related problems. Meanwhile, Honda also says it will recall nearly 10,000 of its new 2017 Ridgeline pickups to repair another defect.

The biggest problem involves Honda Odyssey minivans sold during the 2011 to 2016 model years because the outboard seat latches can fail. That could lead to serious injuries if the seats fail to lock in place during a crash.

"Under certain circumstances, the mechanism that allows the outboard second row seats to tilt and slide forward for access to the third row seating area may not properly lock the seat into place when the seat is returned to its normal position, increasing the risk of injury to passengers seated in the second row," the company explained in a statement announcing the new recall.

Until owners can get their vehicles inspected and, if necessary, repaired, Honda recommends that owners of those 2011-2016 Odyssey minivans "manually lock the seat into a fixed position by pushing down on the horizontal position adjustment bar."

Honda said it has been following the problem since it received its first warranty claim in January 2011, an unusually long time to be monitoring a potential defect. It has now recorded 689 claims.

A total of 634,000 of those Odyssey minivans will be impacted by the second-row outboard seat latch recall.

Separately, Honda is also recalling 7,600 Odyssey minivans from the 2016 model-year. The second-row-center seat latch mechanism needs to be inspected and, if necessary, adjusted. As with the outboard seat latch issue, the mechanism on the center seats may not properly lock into place "increasing the risk of injury to passengers seated in the second row," the maker noted

Honda is also recalling 9,200 of their 2017 Ridgeline pickups built between April 1 and August 11, 2016. A connector for one of the truck's wiring harnesses is placed near a drain hole in the bed. As water is drained out, the terminals can corrode and trigger the stability control system, which can reduce the driver's ability to control the vehicle without warning.

Honda owners can find out if their vehicles are covered by going to www.recalls.honda.com, or by calling 888-234-2138. All inspections and repairs will be made at no cost to Odyssey and Ridgeline owners.