Honda is recalling 440,830 Odyssey minivans built between 2017 and 2022 because their side and rear side curtain airbags may inadvertently deploy when the vehicle encounters strong road impacts such as driving over potholes, speed bumps, or road debris. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Safety Recall Report, Honda is aware of 25 reports of injuries related to this issue that occurred between January 24, 2017 and April 2, 2026, but fortunately no deaths have been reported. The company is also aware of 130 warranty claims related to the issue.
Only 0.1% of the 440,830 Odysseys included in this recall are believed to be actually afflicted with the defect, which was determined to be caused by the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) ECUs containing incorrect deployment parameters for the side and side curtain airbags. Those incorrect parameters allow G-signal inputs, like the force of hitting a pothole or a speed bump, to be misinterpreted as side impacts, causing the airbags to deploy.
Honda knew about the problem as early as 2021
According to the chronology section of the recall report, Honda first received notification of an Odyssey’s airbags inadvertently deploying in late 2017, and launched its own investigation. That investigation found the potential for the problem this recall addresses way back in 2021, but Honda determined there were no safety concerns. The NHTSA issued Honda a Preliminary Evaluation request late last year, but this time, “Honda determined that a defect related to motor vehicle safety existed and decided to conduct a safety recall” on April 2.
To address the inadvertent airbag deployment, dealers will reprogram or replace the SRS ECU with improved airbag deployment parameters as necessary. Honda said the recall condition was corrected in production at the start of production of 2023 model-year Odysseys, so vehicles produced after June 3, 2022 already have the updated SRS ECUs.
Does it feel fishy to anyone else that Honda was aware of the potential for the side and side curtain airbags in its minivans to inadvertently deploy since 2017, to the degree that it addressed the problem in the production line four years before issuing this recall? The recall report shows that Honda “determined there were no safety concerns” in 2021 after it found that driving over poor road surfaces may cause the side and side curtain airbags can deploy. It also shows that Honda continued to study inadvertent airbag deployment situations only after the NHTSA issued a Preliminary Evaluation request four years later, but this time Honda determined “a defect related to motor vehicle safety existed,” leading to this recall.
Regardless, it’s good that Honda is finally addressing this safety issue. Dealers should already be aware of the recall, but owners will have to wait until May 25 to receive their recall notification.
