Honda has issued a recall for hundreds of thousands of vehicles over concerns that its heated side-view mirrors can become dislodged and fall off while on the road.
On Tuesday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that American Honda Motor Co. — the North American subsidiary of the Honda Motor Company — was recalling 330,318 of its cars.
At issue are the heating pads behind both side-view mirrors in many of the company’s model SUVs. NHTSA noted that they had not been bonded properly.
“The left and right side view door mirror heater pad, located behind and attached to the mirror glass, can lose adhesion and detach from the mirror,” NHTSA said in the recall notice.
The NHTSA further warned that “if the heater pad detaches/falls from the mirror backing plate, the mirror glass will detach/fall with it, resulting in the potential impairment or loss of rearward visibility and increasing the risk of a crash or injury.”
Honda SUVs impacted by the recall include the following models:
- 2020-2022 Odyssey
- 2020-2022 Passport
- 2020-2021 Pilot
- 2020-2021 Ridgeline
The vehicle defect was first brought to the attention of Honda and the NHTSA in December 2018 following a market quality report that suggested a trend in vibrating mirrors.
As of March 9, Honda had received 71 related warranty claims between May 2020 and October 2022. According to the recall, no reports of injury or death have been made relating to the side-view mirror issue.
Registered owners of all affected Honda vehicles will be contacted by mail and asked to take their vehicles to an authorized dealership. The dealer will replace both left and right mirror sets with an improved part, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be sent out no later than May 8.
Owners who have paid to have these repairs completed at their own expense will be eligible for reimbursement in accordance with the recall reimbursement plan on file with NHTSA, according to a description of the remedy program.
Vehicle owners can contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 for more information.
